Category Archives: Blogger’s Favorites

Review: Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

Hell Followed with Us
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hell Followed with Us

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.

But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.

Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of GIDEON THE NINTH and ANNIHILATION.

My Review

I don’t usually read horror, so this one is a little bit outside my usual book choice. I couldn’t resist checking it out, though. There’s something really compelling about the cover. I don’t know if it’s the pairing of the colors (obviously I have a thing for turquoise and orange) or the title, which references a Bible verse in Revelations? Either way, as soon as I saw the cover, I knew I needed to check out the book.

The plot: basically this cult takes the worst parts of humanity and clothes them in a twisted version of holiness. It’s bad religion taken to an extreme. Benji references all these scriptures he’s been taught as he’s trying to figure out what to do and what he believes. We get to see how they’ve been twisted for control or abuse. I felt like that was really powerful and also heartbreaking, especially when it was verses that I’ve also memorized and they were being used to cause such harm.

One of the things I liked, too, was that there are these moments where faith comes up and Benji really wrestles with whether God exists. He doesn’t believe what he’s been taught about who God is or what believing would command him to do. But he continues to pray, even if he’s not sure it’s doing anything. He has a conversation with another teammate who also is a person of faith. I liked that the story didn’t straight up demonize faith but created space to explore the difference between a religious terrorist organization and faith that uplifts or inspires people. That’s not what the story as a whole is about though. It’s just a moment in the book.

Character Elements versus Horror Elements

Benji is a pretty tormented character. He’s barely escaped what is obviously (mostly off-scene) a hugely traumatic upbringing in the Angels cult, so he still has a lot of processing to do about what happened to him. He’s only beginning to unpack what is actually true versus what he was told in order to control or manipulate him. The threads of thought he takes us through as he dismantles his abuse gripped me probably more than anything else in the book. That journey and the frank, in-process way that it’s related kept me locked into the story from beginning to end. Some of the cult exploration aspects of the book reminded me a little bit of THE PROJECT by Courtney Summers.

Would I have been more comfortable if there were less, er, slaughtering via teeth? Yeah. For sure. Ha. But I can’t help but be so glad I read this book. I get the hype about it. I love the ways it made me think.

Readers who enjoy fast-paced, post-apocalyptic stories or books that examine cults and recovery from being in a cult should check this one out. I don’t read much horror, but another in the genre that I enjoyed is IT LOOKS LIKE US by Allison Ames. If you liked the balance of character driven elements to horror elements, you would probably also like HELL FOLLOWED WITH US.

Content Notes

Graphic violence, transphobia, domestic violence and religious abuse, self-injury and attempted suicide.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Benji is a trans boy who grew up (and escaped) a radical cult. Nick is autistic. Other minor characters identify as queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. One scene leads up to oral sex but doesn’t describe it.

Spiritual Content
The Angels cult is loosely based on Christianity but is pretty twisted. They’ve created and unleashed a fatal pandemic as well as a disease that causes awful mutations. They kill anyone who disagrees with them or their ideas. Biblical scriptures are warped and used to defend murder and control.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes with graphic descriptions of injuries and death. Graphic descriptions of mutations and death caused by the Flood. Graphic descriptions of bodies rotting. Some scenes show or reference execution. One scene (referenced more than once) describes domestic violence. Several scenes show or reference religious abuse. Several characters exhibit transphobia. In some scenes, a character is misgendered and referred to by his deadname.

Drug Content
A few characters sip wine that someone saved for a “special occasion”. Benji does not and a Muslim character does not.

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 HELL FOLLOWED WITH US in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron

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

The Vanquishers
Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 20, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Vanquishers

In the world of the Vanquishers, vampires were history . . . until now.

Malika “Boog” Wilson and her best friends have grown up idolizing The Vanquishers, a group of heroic vampire hunters who wiped out the last horde of the undead decades ago. Nowadays, most people don’t take even the most basic vampire precautions–the days of garlic wreaths and early curfews long gone–but Boog’s parents still follow the old rules, much to her embarrassment.

When a friend goes missing, Boog isn’t sure what to think. Could it be the school counselor, Mr. Rupert, who definitely seems to be hiding something? Or could it be something more dangerous? Boog is determined to save her friend, but is she ready to admit vampires might not be vanquished after all?

No one ever expected the Vanquishers to return, but if their town needs protection from the undead, Boog knows who to call.

Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Watchmen, this adventure launches readers into an exciting new series.

My Review

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It hit all the notes I was hoping for. It had unforgettable friendships, silly antics, spooky shadowy things, and super hero vibes.

The history of the community with vampires had a great setup. Vampires used to be a real threat, so people adjusted by vampire-proofing their properties and learning social rules, such as not ever inviting a stranger into your home. Though Boog and her friends roll their eyes and barely tolerate their parents sticking to their anti-vampire habits, it made for a great way to introduce all that history and setup into the story without it feeling bulky or weird.

I really liked Boog and her friends, Jules, Cedric, and Aaron. They made a great team, and they were a lot of fun together. I also loved their families and the way they had regular get-togethers and stuff. It added to that post-pandemic feel, too, because it made me think of how we kind of settled into seeing a few “safe” families during the pandemic. We had our bubble, and Boog and her family had theirs.

The only thing I felt was a little bit heavy-handed was in the way the story dealt with one of the characters. It felt like there was an awful lot of emphasis on how creepy the guy was. I wish that had been a little bit more subtle. It was kind of a minor thing in terms of the whole story, though, and once everything came together, I didn’t really care about the way that character was handled.

THE VANQUISHERS is a fun, spooky story packed with fantastic friendships. I think readers who enjoyed THE DARKDEEP by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs should check this one out for sure.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Boog, Cedric and Aaron are Black. Jules is Latine and nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Vampires exist but haven’t been seen since a team called The Vanquishers destroyed the last known group of them.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A couple tense, spooky moments.

Drug Content
None.

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

2022 Summer Reading Recap

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, News and Fun, , , , , , ,

For the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to post seasonal lists of the books I can’t wait to read. I love doing that, but I also want to post some kind of recap at the end of the season where I can talk about which books turned out to be my favorites that sort of thing. I’ve been struggling to find a format that feels satisfying to write up and read about, so here’s my first attempt: my 2022 Summer Reading Recap.

First, if you missed my most-anticipated summer release list, check it out to see what books started on my list. I also posted this Top Ten Tuesday list of backlist titles I hoped to read this summer, so I’ll include those in this check-in.

How many books did I read from my summer reading lists?

My most-anticipated summer reading list had 25 titles on it. Of those 25, I read 19 of them. I’ve started VALIANT LADIES by Melissa Grey as an audiobook but haven’t finished it yet. The other five–MASTER OF IRON by Tricia Levenseller, THE KING WILL KILL YOU by Sarah Henning, THE HONEYS by Ryan LaSala, MY IMAGINARY MARY by Hand, Meadows, and Ashton, and THE DRAGON’S PROMISE by Elizabeth Lim– are still on my TBR list for now.

I’ve read 8 out of 10 of the books on my backlist titles list. I still hope to get to ELATSOE by Darcie Little Badger and THE BLACK FLAMINGO by Dean Atta soon. I’ve heard amazing things about both.

So, in total, out of 35 books, I read 27. Not perfect, but not too shabby.

Favorite Summer Book by a Familiar Author

This one is easy, because there aren’t a whole lot of authors I’d read before on my reading lists for this season. My favorite book by an author I’d read before has to be THE STARS BETWEEN US by Cristin Terrill.

I love the description of the book as “Dickensian-inspired”, and it totally lives up to that, in my opinion. I also loved the characters and the sweet romance. It’s a book that still makes me smile when I think about it now.

The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl with an unexpected inheritance on a glittering planet. A mysterious young man who is always in her way. Secrets. Murder. An underground rebellion. A Dickensian-inspired space murder mystery romance.

Release Date: August 2, 2022 | My Review

Favorite Summer Book by a New Author

This is trickier because I read so many amazing debuts or books by authors that I hadn’t read before. I’m going to say my top favorite is BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE by Rebecca Barrow.

I’ve bought some of Rebecca Barrow’s other books, but this is the first one I actually read so far. The characters felt so real in their small town setting. The disappearing girls gave me chills– I have chills now, thinking about it, actually. It was wow.

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: An island with a history of unsolved murders. A girl whose best friend and sister were both murdered on the island will stop at nothing to find out why.

Release Date: June 28, 2022 | My Review

Favorite Summer Book from My Backlist

I’m a little torn about which book from my Top Ten Tuesday list of backlist titles that I’d call my favorite. I loved HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones and THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo. I listened to both as audiobooks, and both were a great experience. THE POET X is read by the author, which I think makes a huge difference for a novel in verse. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE was such a fun book to read. I loved the wacky things that happened and the way Sophie formed relationships with each of the characters.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This is one of those books I can’t believe I haven’t read. A young girl under a terrible curse. An oddball sorcerer with secrets. A magical castle.

Release Date: April 1986

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: From Goodreads: “An Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.”

Release Date: March 6, 2018

Book That Surprised Me the Most

I feel like this shouldn’t be true, because I probably would have said the same thing about the other book I read by this author, but I’m giving this one to BEFORE TAKEOFF by Adi Alsaid.

It’s strange. It juggles a lot of characters and elements that defy science or reason. There are so many reasons the book shouldn’t work, but it totally does! I remember being blown away at the moments the story changes point of view because it was so perfectly timed.

I got completely wrapped up in this story and each of the characters involved. I loved the social commentary. The bizarre-ness of the events unfolding at the airport. So good. I’m a huge fan of this book, and it only proves to me more that I need to catch up on Adi Alsaid’s backlist titles. I think I own all of them, so I have no excuse. Ha!

Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This one pretty much had me at “THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR meets JUMANJI.”

Release Date: June 7, 2022 | My Review

Goals for Fall Reading and Blogging

I probably should add a section like this to my Fall TBR post, but this whole idea is a work in progress. Anyway.

So. Goals for the fall. The truth is, I’ve WAYYYY overcommitted for my fall reading. I tried to be reasonable. I did. Really. I said no to a lot of titles. But there are SO MANY amazing books coming out in September especially, and some of the titles I requested earlier in the year only just now reached me, so it is kind of a perfect storm of too many books. (In case you missed them, here are my TBR lists for fall MG and YA releases.)

All that to say, I’ll probably increase to four reviews per week for the short term. It’s really too many. I can’t do that on an ongoing basis, but I want to clear my queue a bit before we get into the holiday season, and I get REALLY SWAMPED.

Four reviews per week means I would post somewhere around 48 reviews between mid-September and early December. That’s a lot of books, but my fall MG and YA reading lists are already a combined 37 books. Plus I’ve got some backlist titles and titles released earlier this year that I really want to get to, so those spots are already filled and then some.

I’m also hoping to continue seasonal reading lists plus jump into the Top Ten Tuesday meme now and then. I’ve marked a few topics on my calendar that I’m interested in. I will also be sharing a Spooky Season reading list. And I’m planning to do another seasonal recap at the end of the fall.

What are the highlights from your summer reading?

Did you find a new favorite book or author? Let me know in the comments so I can add more books to my reading list! If you’ve read any of the books I talked about here, let me know if you liked them, too.

Do you have reading goals for the fall? What are you most looking forward to reading?

Let me know if you enjoyed this recap and want to see more posts like this. If I left out something you want to know– stats about what format I read books in or other superlatives about the books I read– leave a comment! This is definitely still a work-in-progress post, so I would love to know what you want to see more or less of.

Review: Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

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

Rust in the Root
Justina Ireland
Balzer + Bray
Published September 20, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Rust in the Root

The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.

It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker

But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for.

My Review

I’ve been really wanting to read a book by Justina Ireland for a long time. I’d heard amazing things about DREAD NATION, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. When I got an opportunity to read RUST IN THE ROOT, I couldn’t pass it up– and I’m so glad I didn’t!

Reimagined history can be one of the coolest types of stories to read. I loved the way this book took historical figures and events and reimagined them through the lens of magic in the world. The connection between Jim Crow laws and the oppression of Black magic. The way oppression would get repackaged and repurposed. It was awful, but it fit the history.

I also loved the characters. The story is told from both Laura and the Skylark’s perspectives. The bulk of the story is from Laura’s point of view, but there are snippets of records that the Skylark would have submitted to her superiors interspersed between chapters. Usually following those snippets, we’d get a scene from the Skylark’s viewpoint. I liked getting both perspectives.

Also– the tree with “strange fruit”– I felt like that hit me right in the gut. Wow. What a powerful reference and another moment where magic and history intersected in this incredibly moving way.

On the whole, I loved the reimagined history, and I think fans of The Great Library series by Rachel Caine or THE RING AND THE CROWN by Melissa de la Cruz would love RUST IN THE ROOT. I think fans of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi or SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow would love this book, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Black. Laura is attracted to women. Two boys (minor characters) are in a secret romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Laura discusses how the existence of magic played a role in religion– namely that magic was responsible for resurrections in different faiths.

Violent Content
References to murder. Situations of peril. Some battle scenes.

Drug Content
Laura mentions a time as a little girl that she drank alcohol as an illustration for feeling drunk when she encounters a type of magic.

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 RUST IN THE ROOT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Killing Code
Ellie Marney
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published September 20, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Killing Code

A historical mystery about a girl who risks everything to track down a vicious serial killer, for fans of THE ENIGMA GAME and A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.

To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.

My Review

Every time I read a great historical novel, I feel like I end up saying I need to read more historical books. I loved that THE KILLING CODE explores another part of World War II and specifically what was happening in the United States during the war. I also loved that it focuses on the relationships between women.

Moya and Kit alternate telling us the story. A few scenes kind of zoom out and give us a more omniscient view, setting up the scene before returning to that close third-person viewpoint. I really liked both Kit and Moya, so I loved getting to see both their perspectives. The transitions heightened tension and some romantic suspense, too.

THE KILLING CODE is the first book I’ve ever read by Ellie Marney, and after reading it, I definitely want to read more. The historical setting felt immersive without being distracting, and the murder mystery had me hooked from that early chapter where Kit finds the girl’s body.

I loved that the girls use their codebreaking strategies as their approach to solving the murder. That connected both their identities as codebreakers as well as the historical and murder mystery story elements.

Also, each chapter of THE KILLING CODE begins with a quote about solving puzzles or codebreaking. Some of the quotes are from real codebreakers like Elizebeth Friedman. I thought the author cleverly used those quotes both in connecting the story to history and giving some teasing hints about the upcoming chapter.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. I definitely got caught up in the mystery and the high stakes race to find the serial killer before he strikes again.

Content Notes

Content warning for mentions of rape and attempted assault. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Point-of-view characters are white. Both are women who’ve had romantic relationships with women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions of rape. When Kit sees the body of a murdered girl, she realizes the girl has also been raped. No details. Some scenes show kissing between two girls. In one scene, a murdered threatens women, clearly intending to rape and kill them.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A man attacks women, using a knife to threaten and harm them. A serial killer has been murdering women in the DC area. One murder scene is described.

Drug Content
Moya smokes cigarettes. The girls drink alcohol together in Moya’s room and at a club and hotel party.

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

Review: Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

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

Defend the Dawn (Deft the Night #2)
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 20, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Defend the Dawn

To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey…

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .

My Review

I love this series, but I don’t know that I would truly classify it as young adult. The issues that Tessa and Corrick deal with are more adult– figuring out your career path and relationships– rather that the more figuring out who you are and what you believe about the world stuff typical of YA.

That said, I’d probably also call it a crossover because Brigid Kemmerer has written other young adult novels and has a pretty significant (well-deserved) following among YA readers.

Okay, so onto the book itself. The story of DEFEND THE DAWN is divided into three points of view: Tessa, Corrick, and an Outlaw. Tessa and Corrick face challenges to their relationship and doubts about each other’s feelings and values. The Outlaw has to navigate his dual roles as a masked helper to the poor by night and a powerful man by day. I found it easy to invest in all three characters, and some of the side characters kind of stole the scene a few times, too. Lochlan, the rebel leader, Quint, the king’s right-hand man, and Rian, the captain of the ship all had some great moments. I’m really excited to see what happens with each of them in the next book.

In terms of the plot, I felt like the pacing moved really nicely. I felt like there was a bit of a lull around the middle where Corrick and Tessa kind of rehash the same conflict they’d been having, while I was ready to move on.

I really liked the directions that DEFEND THE DAWN flowed in, though. We learn so many new things about the kingdom and the politics between the crown and the consuls. We also learn some things connecting events of the past, when Corrick and Harristan’s father was king, to issues in the present. I felt like that painted a much bigger picture of what was going on and why some things had happened earlier on in the book and series.

Reading the next book will be easy– I really want to know what happens next! Waiting for it to come out will be a little harder.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The Outlaw character (a man) is attracted to men.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some derisive comments insinuating that a girl is only useful because she sleeps with a powerful boy. Kissing between boy and girl. Flirting between two boys. In one scene, a boy opens a girl’s top and touches her. In another, a couple spend a night in his bed, just sleeping.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to torture and execution. Situations of peril. Some battle scenes in which characters receive injuries.

Drug Content
Some discussion of which plants are used to poison and which to heal.

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 DEFEND THE DAWN in exchange for my honest review.