Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
Viking Classics
Published November 22, 2022 (Orig. 1847)

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About Wuthering Heights

“Whatever our souls are made out of, his and mine are the same.” -Catherine

Emily Brontë’s 1847 gothic novel is set on the windy moors of Yorkshire and depicts the tragic and ill-fated love between Catherine Earnshaw and her father’s adopted son, Heathcliff.

Using vivid imagery to portray their volatile, passionate relationship, Brontë has crafted a timeless masterpiece that honestly depicts the pain and anguish felt from love, hatred, and revenge.

For over 150 years, millions of readers have found Wuthering Heights to be a must-read of the greatest classical novels in English Literature. It has been translated into stage, film and television for decades. Completed as her only novel before her death, Emily Brontë is generally considered one of the most talented and gifted storytellers to have ever lived.

About My Review

This is one of the books I am sure I read in school, and my only surviving memories of it are how much I didn’t like it. Because I want to read the Remixed Classics version, WHAT SOULS ARE MADE OF by Tasha Suri, I wanted to reread the original to give me a grid for the remix and how things changed. I’m not a literature expert, so this definitely won’t be a technical review.

Why I Reread Wuthering Heights

My memories of this book before this reread were pretty thin. I remembered Heathcliffe as an unpredictably violent person and Cathy as a lovesick girl. I did not remember the abusive behavior by so many of the characters in this book, including Catherine. So much yikes.

My Review

Honestly, by the time I hit chapter ten, I felt like Heathcliffe, who’d been found as a very young child and dragged home by perhaps a well-meaning man, was the person I sympathized with most. He didn’t ask for all the bananas behavior of the Earnshaws, and he certainly didn’t ask to place himself in the center of a group of people who treated him so abominably. And then.

He ruined it. I love that he went away and made his fortune and educated himself. Good for him for breaking away. Then, he comes back and vows to destroy the people who harmed or betrayed him in his youth. That was such a waste of his time.

Catherine continues to be terrible to him and pretty much anyone around her. Heathcliffe continues his plot to ruin the lives of the Lintons and Earnshaws. For a while, he’s completely successful. He abuses his wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law. Eventually, near the end of his life, Catherine’s daughter and nephew seem to find their way past the animosity they’ve been raised to feel for one another, and the story ends with a possibility of hope.

Racism in Wuthering Heights?

Again, I’m not a literary expert by any stretch of the imagination. I do want to point out that multiple times, especially at the beginning of the book and the end, characters refer to Heathcliffe using the G-slur used against the Romani people. At multiple other times, characters use words that suggest a darker complexion to label him as a bad person. The narrator, Ellen, also refers to Heathcliffe’s son (who is white-passing) as a “monkey.” It’s unclear whether she meant to insult his behavior alone or was referencing his heritage.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Characters describe Heathcliffe as having darker skin and several times refer to him with the G-slur used against Romani people.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
The G-slur is used multiple times. Mild profanity used somewhat infrequently. Cathy uses cruel language to label her cousin, Hareton, who can’t read, as Heathcliffe barred him from learning.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
A man has a strange dream after reading a sermon about forgiveness. One character, a cold, cruel older man behaves piously and speaks authoritatively about scripture and God.

The narrator warns Heathcliffe that he should get a Bible and read it to see where he should repent and change his ways. She asks him if she can summon a minister of any denomination to speak with him. He refuses.

Violent Content
A man has a creepy nightmare about a child grabbing his hand and demanding that he let her in through his window. A boy physically abuses his adopted brother. A girl hits a servant, shakes a child, and hits her lover. A drunk man threatens to harm multiple people. He shoves a knife into a young woman’s mouth before trying to throw a child off a balcony.

Multiple on-scene deaths from illness.

A man hits more than one woman and locks doors to prevent her being able to leave. He threatens a young woman, forcing her to marry someone. A man shows a woman a gun and tells her to lock herself in her room at night or else he may try to murder the room’s occupants.

Drug Content
One minor character repeatedly gets drunk and violent.

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

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

Don’t Let the Forest In
C. G. Drews
Feiwel & Friends
Published October 29, 2024

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About Don’t Let the Forest In

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.

Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

My Review

I got so completely lost in this book. I couldn’t stop reading it. The story has this dark, creepy vibe that curls around two boys who are outcasts for different reasons. Thomas’s anger keeps other people at a distance the same way that Andrew’s shyness does, but they share a close bond with each other.

As the story progresses, Andrew changes. At the beginning, he feels powerless to steer even his own existence. But as the monsters get scarier and the forest gets (literally) under his skin, he begins to take action in his own way. I loved that arc in which he finds his voice and claims ownership of his life.

The desperation in the quest to stop the monsters had me leaping from one chapter to the next. I needed to know who was going to win: the forest with its monsters, or the prince and his poet.

I’ve read The Boy Who Steals Houses by C. G. Drews before, and I really enjoyed that one. This book takes Drews’ storytelling to a whole new level, though. The tension in the horror elements. The characters you just want to rescue right off the page. The secrets and twisty plotlines. I love it all. Sign me up for all their future projects, please and thanks.

All that to say– if you’re looking for a dark, forest-y Halloween story, grab a copy of this one immediately.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Andrew is asexual. Other characters identify as LGBTQIA+ as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple of F-bombs and infrequent use of swearing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
Monsters appear and attack people. A seed sprouts inside someone’s body, and plants begin to grow inside them.

Violent Content
Body horror. Graphic descriptions of blood/gore. Descriptions of an eating disorder. Homophobic bullying. References to Andrew punching through a mirror.

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: Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

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Light Enough to Float
Lauren Seal
Rocky Pond Books
Published October 8, 2024

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About Light Enough to Float

Deeply moving and authentic, this debut novel-in-verse follows teenage Evie through her eating disorder treatment and recovery―a Wintergirls for a new generation.

Evie has just barely acknowledged that she has an eating disorder when she’s admitted to an inpatient treatment facility. Now her days are filled with calorie loading, therapy sessions, and longing—for home, for control, and for the time before her troubles began. As the winter of her treatment goes on, she gradually begins to face her fears and to love herself again, with the help of caregivers and of peers who are fighting their own disordered-eating battles. This insightful, beautiful novel will touch every reader and offer hope and understanding to those who need it most.

My Review

I love this story’s novel-in-verse format. It really focuses on Evie’s emotions and experiences and keeps us in the present with her. The cover copy compares Light Enough to Float with Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. As I read the book, I thought of some moments in Wintergirls.

Whereas Wintergirls focuses on the relationship between two girls and their harmful impacts on one another, this novel stays more focused on Evie herself. Evie does have a relationship with another girl that leaves readers questioning the helpfulness of the friendship, but her own journey stays front and center.

Light Enough to Float feels as deeply personal as it is. Evie brings readers into the center of her anguish, fear, and shame. But she also draws readers forward into her hope and her journey toward healing. Those moments stay grounded, reminding us that there’s no light-switch fix, but they show what recovery can look like and leave us rooting for Evie every step of her journey.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Evie and other characters in the book have disordered eating. Evie also has dermotillomania, a condition that causes her to pick at her scalp, harming herself.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some swearing, including rare F-bombs, used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Descriptions of disordered eating and self-harm. Reference to a suicide attempt (happens off-scene).

Drug Content
Reference to a drug overdose (off-scene).

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: In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher

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

In the Orbit of You
Ashley Schumacher
Wednesday Books
Published March 19, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About In the Orbit of You

In the Orbit of You is a YA story of enduring love from acclaimed author Ashley Schumacher, where a personality test reunites two friends and makes them second guess their careful plans.

It’s been years since Nova Evans last saw Sam. She was too young then to understand why he had to move away―and what it had to do with the cuts and bruises he got from home and never wanted to talk about. All she knew is that they promised to find each other when they were older, something she thought was impossible thanks to her and her mom moving around constantly. Until she bumps into Sam in her new school, and realizes he has clearly forgotten their childhood promise.

Sam Jordan has a plan for his accept his college football scholarship, date his girlfriend Abigail, and―most importantly―hide how much he wants to do something, anything other than The Plan™ his parents and coaches have set before him. It doesn’t matter if sometimes he finds himself thinking about the new girl he met in the cafeteria, a girl who reminds him of a past that hurts to remember.

When a school-wide personality test reveals Nova and Sam to be each others’ top matches―not only that, but a match of 99%, the highest in the school―they begin to remember why they were such close friends, all those years ago. As well as the myriad of reasons this new-yet-familiar, magnetic, sparkling thing between them will never, ever work out.

In the Orbit of You is a story about the enduring and changing nature of friendship, of the strange struggle between who you are and who you want to be, and finding your voice after trauma.

My Review

I’ve been a huge fan of Ashley Schumacher’s novels so far, so I knew I was going to read this book as soon as I heard it announced for publication. I love the way she writes relationships. All the characters have really specific personalities and interesting ways of relating to one another. It makes the main characters’ friend cosmos seem very real.

This story addresses the trauma of childhood abuse and references Sam’s healing journey through therapy and his adoption into a family. I thought the author presented those sensitively but without romanticizing the harm that abuse causes. Nova recalls seeing bruises and injuries on Sam’s face and arms when they were little. She knew something was wrong but processed it much like a little kid would.

There’s a fair amount of romantic suspense and poor communication in this book. I know that’s a thing for some readers, so be aware if it’s something that would bother you. There are things that would end the story pretty early if the characters sat down and talked to one another.

The miscommunication tropes don’t usually bother me too much, so that wasn’t a hindrance for me. It made sense why Nova and Sam couldn’t be honest with others when they couldn’t even be honest with themselves. Also, weirdly, I think my favorite character was Sam’s girlfriend Abigail. She’s sweet and kind and doesn’t jump to conclusions. She invites Sam to communicate with her but she doesn’t hesitate to call him out when he’s wrong about things. I appreciated that about her a lot.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and its exploration of the gravitational pull between two people and what it means. If you like books with a more subtle, very slow-burn romance, this one will scratch that itch.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few f-bombs. A few other instances of profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, a girl asks for help with a dress she’s tried on. The zipper is stuck, and she needs a boy to help her. He focuses very carefully on keeping things totally normal and not making it weird.

Spiritual Content
Emphasis on the meaning/value of a promise. Is making a promise good? Bad? Does it cause harm? I liked the story’s exploration of this idea.

Violent Content
Several references to physical abuse, though it’s not shown on scene. A boy experiences a football injury (off scene). Someone falls out of a tree and lands on the ground pretty hard. A fire makes it difficult for someone to get safely out of their house.

Drug Content
Sam remembers his dad hitting him for not cleaning up his dad’s empty beer bottles fast enough.

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 IN THE ORBIT OF YOU in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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The Wild Huntress
Emily Lloyd-Jones
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published October 8, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Wild Huntress

Dive into a lush, standalone fantasy, set in the same world as The Drowned Woods and The Bone Houses, about a deadly competition—perfect for fans of Holly Black and Erin A. Craig.

Every five years, two kingdoms take part in a Wild Hunt. Joining is a bloody risk and even the most qualified hunters can suffer the deadliest fates. Still, hundreds gamble their lives to participate—all vying for the Hunt’s life-changing prize: a magical wish granted by the Otherking.

BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically-talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

If they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But, then again, nothing is guaranteed when all is fair in love and the Hunt.

My Review

Well, this is one of those stories where my favorite character definitely got the short straw. That was hard.

However.

This is the first book by Emily Lloyd-Jones that I’ve read. I used to own at least one of her other books, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. I think it came in an OwlCrate box several years ago. Anyway. The writing and the lush, dangerous forest with its otherworldly creatures drew me into the story. There are monsters and other dangers. There’s a cat who is not a cat– my second-favorite character!

As I read, I knew I was heavily invested in the story. When I had about 100 pages left, I hoped it was a duology because I really didn’t want to be coming to the end of the story and the really imaginative world. As I got closer to the end, I dreaded learning it was going to be a duology because I didn’t want to have to wait a year or more to find out what happens to the characters who make it to the last page. (It’s a standalone, so no worries there.)

Even though my favorite character met with disaster, I wasn’t unhappy to follow the rest of the cast to the end of the book. It definitely takes you on an emotional ride. It’s one of those books that draws you close and quietly slips a knife between your ribs. It was really great, though? I feel like I’ll be thinking of those one for a long time, and may even have to go back and reread it.

If you liked The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert or Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson, definitely check out The Wild Huntress.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Branwen has visible scars and an eye that can see magic and would make her a target or outcast depending on who discovers this. Pryderi survived kidnapping and abuse.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magical ability. Some monsters have supernatural abilities. Characters participate in the Wild Hunt, which has magical rules and is governed by two kings, one human and one immortal/magical.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Graphic descriptions of monster attacks against people and animals. Attacks between humans.

Drug Content
Branwen spots enchanted food and drink while at a feast and avoids consuming any of it. She and her allies share a bottle of mead.

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: Castle Swimmer: Volume 1 by Wendy Martin

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Castle Swimmer: Volume 1
Wendy Martin
Ten Speed Graphic
Published October 22, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Castle Swimmer: Volume 1

In the gorgeous first installment of the hit Webtoon series Castle Swimmer, two young mermen reject their destinies and embark on an epic adventure full of romance and danger, featuring exclusive bonus material.

From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.

Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks’ prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophecies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.

Episodes 1-19 of Webtoon’s Castle Swimmer Season 1 is collected in this stunning graphic novel, which also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.

My Review

I love the illustrations in this beautiful undersea story. One character has a glowing force inside him that leads him to people he’s supposed to help. The panels really capture that illuminated look of the glowing force. The different underwater kingdoms include merpeople based on different sea creatures, such as sharks or crustaceans, which I thought was clever. I’ve never seen that done before.

The characters’ expressions can be a bit exaggerated and cartoonish. I enjoyed the anime feel of some of their reactions to things. The story follows both Kappa, the beam, and Siren, the prince who must kill him if he’s to fulfill a prophecy and break the curse on his people. It shows their loneliness and the growing bond between them, which really drew me into the story.

The backmatter contains a couple of short stories about Kappa and Siren, too. They’re so sweet. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of this series. It’s perfect for anyone interested in a high-stakes, sweet fantasy story under the sea.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Two boys appear romantically interested in one another.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Two boys appear to be romantically interested in one another.

Spiritual Content
A god who lives at the surface of the ocean sends a creation called the Beam to fulfill the prophecies of mer people living under the sea. One group was cursed after they attacked another god. They believe breaking the curse involves a blood sacrifice.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief scary ocean monster imagery. Brief battle scenes showing cartoon violence.

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.