Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Song of the Forever Rains by E. J. Mellow

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Song of the Forever Rains by E. J. Mellow

Song of the Forever Rains (Mousai #1)
E. J. Mellow
Montlake
Published July 1, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Song of the Forever Rains

The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadlior. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.

Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?

From the award-winning author of the Dreamland series comes a new dark romantic fantasy about a young woman finding hope in her powers of destruction.

My Review

I liked a lot of things about SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS. One is the way both central characters wrestled with guilt over a parent’s death. The other is how things happened to challenge what they believed to be true about their own role in those deaths. I found those emotional journeys pretty compelling.

Another thing I liked was the constant banter between characters– especially Larkyra and her sisters, but also between Larkyra and Darius, too. I thought the dialog as a whole was really sharp and well-crafted.

It took me a little while to get into the story, though, and I’m still not totally sure why. The prologue is interesting, but doesn’t intersect the story for a while. So, maybe I was distracted trying to figure out how things pieced together? I didn’t expect the story to be told from the youngest sister’s perspective based on the prologue. The prologue was in an omniscient viewpoint, so maybe it just took me time to adjust to that.

Darius is a strong character and so determined to do what’s right, which I really liked. I think I would have liked his character more if he’d had some kind of flaw, though. Sometimes I had a hard time really believing in him because he just seemed so perfect.

Once I hit about the 25% mark, though, I was really invested in the story. I read the rest of the book probably more quickly than I read that first 100 pages. I liked the first part, but once I got into the story, I definitely invested a lot more time and energy into reading all the way through to the end. When I had to stop and take breaks, I kept thinking about it in between.

I think readers who enjoyed DOWN COMES THE NIGHT by Allison Saft or THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates will want to check this one out for sure.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Major characters are white. Some minor characters are described as having black or brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between man and woman. One extended explicit sex scene and several references to it afterward.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to use magic.

Violent Content – Trigger warning for self-harm and torture/abuse.
A character uses magic to control the actions of another person, including using them to harm the person. Some scenes show or reference graphic self-harm.

Drug Content
People without magic sometimes become addicted to a substance which gives them false magic for a short time. Even the good characters in the story, while acknowledging how destructive the addiction becomes, ignore the issue as long as using the false magic only happens under certain controlled circumstances.

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

Review: Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond

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Girl on a Wire (Cirque American #1)
Gwenda Bond
Skyscape
Published October 1, 2014


Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Girl on a Wire

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.

Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.

As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.

My Review

So I guess it’s been more than four years since I read the companion novel to this one, and when I reread my review, I said it would be smarter to read this one first so you didn’t get any spoilers. Fortunately for me, my reading brain is so porous that I have zero memory of anything that I read in GIRL IN THE SHADOWS that might have spoiled GIRL ON A WIRE for me. (In fact, I kind of want to go back and reread it to see what happens to Jules and Remy after this story ends.)

First of all, I loved the circus setting. It felt live and exciting and full of adrenaline and I had no trouble picturing the scenes or imagining the smells and sounds of the circus performances.

I thought the nod to the story of Romeo and Juliet was fun and sweet– Remy’s full name is apparently Romeo and Jules’s is Julieta, and they’re from families with a long history of rivalry and distrust. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense as they learned how to trust each other and work together to figure out who was trying to sabotage Jules and her family.

I thought the story was a really fun adventure to read and a nice escape from reality. I’m only sorry it took me so long to read it!

You can check out my review of the companion novel, GIRL IN THE SHADOWS here.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Jules and her family are Italian Americans. Remy and his family are Latinx Americans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used once.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Jules wonders about sex and how to know when she’s ready for that kind of intimacy in a relationship.

Spiritual Content
Jules’s grandmother reads Tarot cards and believes she can perform magic. She also believes that certain artifacts contain a kind of bad luck curse that will hurt anyone connected with them. One item contains good luck for whoever possesses it.

Violent Content
Two boys square off to fight. A performer is killed in an accident during a performance.

Drug Content
Jules (and other performers) drinks champagne to celebrate her success.

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

Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

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Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)
Amanda Foody
Harlequin Teen
Published April 10, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ace of Shades

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

My Review

I started listening to this book because it was included in my Audible membership, and I was really impressed with the performance of the narrator. Within a few minutes, I was pretty hooked on the story world of ACE OF SHADES, with its maffia-esque gangs and fancy casinos and clubs. It’s not a type of story that I usually seek out, but I was intrigued enough to give it a shot.

Some bits of it reminded me a little of SIX OF CROWS— in terms of the gangs and clubs, but I loved that the story had this very late 1800s feel to it, with the addition of an unusual magic system based on family lineage.

I really like that while Enne is challenged by the city, the secrets she uncovers, and the things she must to do survive, she doesn’t lose herself. She finds talents and strengths that she didn’t know she had, as well as a confidence she never believed possible.

The second and third books in the series are available on Audible, too, but they’re not included with membership right now, so I’d have to pay for them to continue reading– and I think it’s so worth doing that! I have a few other things on my listening list to get to first, but then I really want to get back to The Shadow Game series and find out what happens to Enne and Levi next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Levi is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. Other made up curses are used more often.

Romance/Sexual Content
Enne is tasked with poisoning a man who is a known pedophile who goes after underage girls and has sex with them. He makes a clear pass at her, which terrifies and disgusts her.

Some descriptions of attraction between characters. At one point Enne sees a brief vision of herself in bed with another character.

Spiritual Content
Characters possess magic abilities that give them advantages or supernatural abilities.

Violent Content
One character curses others, binding them to her so they must do as she orders or else die.

Some scenes show battles between gang members with knives or fists.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol. One character offers another an alcoholic drink even though he believes her to be under age. Poison and other drugs are used to harm others.

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

Review: Pretty Funny for a Girl by Rebecca Elliot

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Pretty Funny for a Girl
Rebecca Elliot
Peachtree Publishing Company
Published October 1, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Pretty Funny for a Girl

Haylah Swinton is an ace best friend, a loving daughter, and an incredibly patient sister to a four-year-old nutcase of a brother. Best of all, she’s pretty confident she’s mastered making light of every situation–from her mom’s new boyfriend to unsolicited remarks on her plus-sized figure. Haylah’s learning to embrace all of her curvy parts and, besides, she has a secret: one day, she’ll be a stand-up comedian star.

So when impossibly cool and thirstalicious Leo reveals he’s also into comedy, Haylah jumps at the chance to ghost-write his sets. But is Leo as interested in returning the favor? Even though her friends warn her of Leo’s intentions, Haylah’s not ready to listen–and she might just be digging herself deeper toward heartbreak. If Haylah’s ever going to step into the spotlight, first she’ll need to find the confidence to put herself out there and strut like the boss she really is.

My Review

Okay, so when I first asked to review this book, I had it mixed up with a different book that I’d wanted to read. Then when I got the book and read the cover copy, I realized it was not the book I’d been thinking of, and I was a little disappointed. Then.

I started reading. And I found that I really liked Haylah’s voice. She’s blunt and pragmatic and, as the title hints, hilarious. I loved her relationship with her mom and little brother. I also loved the way she leaned into her awkwardness. Her way of dealing with kids picking on her is as genius as it is heartbreaking. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her when she changed the name she wanted to be called.

Haylah wrestles with a lot of things on her journey, from finding confidence to believe she can be a comedian to wrestling with how she feels about her body and how to be beautiful in a way that’s authentically hers and stays true to her feminist values. I loved that the story tackled some of those nuanced issues in this really frank, believable way, and in a way that made me laugh out loud and cheer.

If you’re looking for a book packed with humor and personal triumph, PRETTY FUNNY FOR A GIRL needs to be on your shelf.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Haylah is a self-described fat girl. Leo is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a few times. Some crude language used throughout.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some bullying and name-calling.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Broken Web by Lori Lee

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Broken Web (Shamanborn #2)
Lori M. Lee
Page Street
Published June 15, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Broken Web

The Soulless has woken from his centuries-long imprisonment. Now, he lurks in the Dead Wood recovering his strength, while Sirscha and her allies journey east to the shaman empire of Nuvalyn. Everyone believes she is a soulguide—a savior—but Sirscha knows the truth. She’s a monster, a soulrender like the Soulless, and if anyone discovers the truth, she’ll be executed.

But there’s nothing Sirscha won’t risk to stop the shaman responsible for the rot that’s killing her best friend. While the Soulless is formidable, like all shamans, his magic must be channeled through a familiar. If Sirscha can discover what—or who—that is, she might be able to cut him off from his power.

With Queen Meilyr bent on destroying the magical kingdoms, Sirscha finds herself caught between a war brewing in the east and the Soulless waiting in the west. She should be trying to unite what peoples she can to face their common enemies, but instead, her hunt for clues about the Soulless leads to a grim discovery, forcing Sirscha to question who her enemies really are.

My Review

I’m still running super behind on my reviews, so this is another book/author/publisher that I feel like I owe a huge apology to for not posting this closer to the publication date. But here we are.

I am really enjoying this series. It’s gone some directions that I didn’t expect, and I feel like there’s still a lot of room for twists that I don’t see coming. The characters are fascinating. The story world and magic system are really different than anything else I’ve read. It’s still got the creepiest trees ever, and I love that.

The only thing that maybe didn’t go as I hoped in reading this book is that I felt a little less connected to the characters in this one compared to the first book in the series, A FOREST OF SOULS, which was one of my favorite books that I read last year. I don’t know if it’s because it took me a long time to read BROKEN WEB, so maybe I just didn’t have that immersive experience that I usually have when I read a whole book in a couple days, or if the plot overshadowed the characters a little bit? I’m not really sure whether it was me or the way the book was written.

In either case, I still enjoyed the book a lot, and I loved the way this book set up what looks like it’ll be an amazing conclusion to the trilogy. I’m so glad I read this one, and I will definitely be reading the next book, which looks like it’ll be out next year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Based on Hmong belief that spirits are responsible for what happens to you. Asian-coded characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
There are three races of humans. Two have magical abilities related to souls. Some can destroy souls or guide them. All require a soul in a familiar to access their magic. Usually a familiar is an animal, but in Sircha’s case, it’s another person.

Violent Content
Several scenes show battle violence. There are also trees which attack and kill people before absorbing/capturing their souls. There are some horror-esque descriptions of the trees and souls inside them.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: The Fever King by Victoria Lee

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

The Fever King (Feverwake #1)
Victoria Lee
Skyscape
Published March 1, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Fever King

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

My Review

THE FEVER KING is a really intense read packed with so many things. It starts with a dark dystopian setting. The government struggles to control a deadly pandemic and uses it as an excuse to harm refugees. Add to that a hopeless but desperate love between two boys.

Noam is a hopeful revolutionary. So many times his hope and trust are pitted against pretty sinister things, and I definitely got caught up in worrying for him when it seemed like he was trusting the wrong people and worrying for him when he took reckless risks, led by his passion for his cause.

I felt like the breadcrumbs of the story were perfectly laid out so that I picked up on hints about what was going to happen and then felt a lot of suspense watching it all play out. There were crushing moments of betrayal and moments that had me cheering at a character who came through.

One thing I will say about this book, though, is that it’s pretty short on female characters. The ones that are mentioned are often rallying points for Noam’s emotions. His grief over his mother’s death. His outrage at his friend’s father who purposefully got her whole family sick, hoping they’d become Witchings. I would have enjoyed seeing more active female roles in the story.

I think readers who enjoy books by Cassandra Clare will like the forbidden romance and dark story world of THE FEVER KING. Please check out the content section below, especially the trigger warnings.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Noam is Jewish and Colombian and bisexual. His mentor is also Jewish. Another character is Brown (perhaps Iranian American) and gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty often.

Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger warning for rape of a minor.
Contains brief a brief scene alluding to sexual abuse and rape followed by someone confronting the victim about what happened to him.

Two boys kissing. One scene briefly describes them having sex.

Spiritual Content
Survivors of the virus have magical abilities. Noam touches a mezuzah before entering a home. References to celebrating Shabbat.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for pandemic
Noam goes to a protest rally that turns violent. He stops a group of men from kicking a girl by pointing a gun at them. Noam acquires bruises from his sparring sessions with his mentor. Someone murders a prominent government official by stabbing them multiple times. Someone murders a prominent political figure by electrocuting them.

There are several scenes and descriptions of people very ill, suffering and dying with the virus.

Drug Content
Dara and his friends drink a lot of alcohol in multiple scenes. One girl does lines of cocaine. One adult character smokes cigarettes.

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