Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

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Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart #1)
Stephanie Garber
Flatiron Books
Published September 28, 2021

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About Once Upon a Broken Heart

How far would you go for happily ever after?

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings… until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy…

My Review

It’s been a while since I read the Caraval series, but I enjoyed them, so Once Upon a Broken Heart has been on my reading list since it came out. I hadn’t planned on waiting until the whole series was published before reading them, but I’m honestly not sorry I did. It took a few weeks to get the audiobook version of this one from my library, but they do have the whole series, so I’m now back in line for the second one.

I liked this book. It has some of the same things I liked about Caraval, but it has a more open world rather than the more closed-circle experience of that trilogy. It’s got unpredictable, sometimes brutal magic and a brooding, unattainable love interest. It’s got the sweet, starry-eyed girl at the center who has more power than she realizes but whose ability to believe in something may prove to be her greatest strength.

One of the things I liked best was the relationship between Evangeline and her step-sister, Marisol. I wish that a little more of the story had centered around them, actually. They have a tenuous relationship that, for a long time, Evangeline struggles to truly understand. She wants a relationship with her, but worries she can’t trust her, and her guilt over turning Marisol and her entire wedding party to stone definitely interferes.

Oh. So there’s a moment late in the book that I won’t spoil, but I literally sat there saying, “Don’t do it. Nope. Don’t!. You’re about to get Tess of the D’Urberville’d*. Don’t do it!”

Anyway. So I knew I was pretty invested in the story when I was literally shouting at the recording. Haha!

There were a couple of moments that I kind of just had to go with. For instance, at one point, a super-hungry vampire bites someone, but instead of feeding, they inject the person with venom. It seemed very bizarre that they didn’t try to feed since there had been this whole buildup about how hungry this vampire was. But nope. The bite just injected venom for some reason. Maybe that will be explained more later?

For the most part, though, I was absolutely carried away with this wild magical story. I’m looking forward to book two in the series.

*If you haven’t read Tess of the D’Urbervilles, there’s a part in the book in which someone confesses a dark secret to her. It’s a person she has been keeping her own awful secret from (something she feels terrible about, but which isn’t even her fault). So they confess, and Tess is like, oh, whew, you’ll understand my secret then. So she confesses, and nope. It’s not okay. Not at all. I really hated that book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Evangeline spends the night curled up in a boy’s lap as part of a medical recovery.

Spiritual Content
A group of immortal Fates have limited special abilities. If a human finds the chapel of a Fate, they can pray to them and make a bargain. The Fate may choose to help them but will ask for something in return.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Evangeline hears about a wolf attack that leaves a boy horribly scarred. A boy dies, apparently from some kind of poison. Someone poisons a girl. A large number of vampires bite people. Someone ties up another person and threatens to torture or kill them.

Drug Content
Evangeline drinks wine at a social event.

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

Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0)
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
Published May 19, 2020

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About Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

My Review

This book has been on my reading list, but I’ve also had really mixed feelings about reading it. I really did not like President Snow in the other Hunger Games books, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to connect with him as the protagonist in a novel.

As I read the story, I struggled to connect with him. He’s really smart, and his family stands on the brink of financial ruin, a predicament he feels only he can rescue them from if he can land an opportunity to go to university and excel in some way. I felt like that made him easy to sympathize with, but he has other traits that really challenged my sympathy– which I think is what the author aimed for, so that’s a good thing.

I liked his relationship with Lucy Gray. She’s clever, charming, and scrappy. I loved the way that the story used music to tie this book to the other stories, and she’s a huge part of that.

There were a couple of moments in which I felt like Coriolanus rationalized what he wanted to do so quickly that I had trouble keeping up. I think some of this might be due to the fact that the story is told in such a close third person point of view. We really only get to know what’s going on inside Coriolanus’s head, and I didn’t always agree with his assessments of a situation, so it was hard to know sometimes whether he was being paranoid or whether there was a real risk to him.

For the most part, I still enjoyed reading the book. The connections to the Hunger Games Trilogy were rewarding for me, and I enjoyed some of the minor characters, especially Coriolanus’s cousin Tigris and, of course, Lucy Gray and the other Covey members.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Some racial diversity in the cast of characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
In District 2, when someone dies, their friends and family sprinkle breadcrumbs over their loved one’s body so they have food to eat on their journey to the afterlife.

Violent Content
In several scenes, kids or teenagers attack or kill one another. Soldiers shoot a girl after she kills another girl. Teenagers are forced into an arena in which they battle to the death until one remains standing. Several people are hanged. A boy shoots another boy. A boy shoots a girl.

Drug Content
Coriolanus and others drink a strong alcoholic drink at parties and events.

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Review: Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

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Garden of the Cursed (Garden of the Cursed #1)
Katy Rose Pool
Henry Holt & Co.
Published June 20, 2023

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About Garden of the Cursed

In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow’s old friend and scion of one of Caraza’s most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

My Review

This book hooked me from its early pages. I love the gritty world of the Marshes and the magic system, which uses spells contained within cards. The city reminded me a little bit of where Kaz lives in Six of Crows. The magic system and main character being a fish-out-of-water reminded me of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody, which I also enjoyed.

Once I got to know Marlow and Adrius, I could not put this book down. Their past relationship was a little different than I thought from the back cover description, but that was because I made some assumptions that I didn’t realize I made. They’re both great characters. Some of the side characters, like Swift, Silvan, and Gemma grew on me as the story went on. Silvan is Adrius’s best friend and seems sullen and angry, but he’s fiercely loyal, and he has a pet snake that is always with him, which is somehow endearing.

Swift is another great character. He’s Marlow’s best friend. They have a super close bond, too, from past adventures together. I also love Marlow’s cat, Toad. She’s great.

The blend of fantasy and mystery elements really worked for me in this book. The magic system is unusual, and it gets used in interesting ways. The chemistry between Marlow and Adrius keeps their relationship sparky in more ways than one.

This is the first book in a duology. It has a satisfying conclusion that opens up a whole new set of problems for book two. As soon as I finished reading Garden of the Cursed, I bought and started reading the second book. I have to know how this story ends.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main character is white. One minor character has had same-gender romantic relationships. Another might be queer. Other characters’ race is ambiguous.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs. Other profanity used pretty infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to a romance between two girls.

Spiritual Content
References to gods. Cards contain spells or curses and can be activated by saying a magic word.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. Threats of torture. Harmful magic such as hexes and curses. A character tries to kill another character with a knife.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.

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: These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

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

These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2)
Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins
Published February 7, 2023

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About These Infinite Threads

With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.

Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.

Kamran’s grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.

Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.

Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.

Full of explosive magic, searing romance, and heartbreaking betrayal, this breathtaking sequel to THIS WOVEN KINGDOM is from the award-winning and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series and is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and Tomi Adeyemi.

My Review

I think last year I had a chance to request this book as an ARC and didn’t because I wouldn’t have had time to read THE WOVEN KINGDOM beforehand. This was a good call. Not only is this book very much a middle story, it would have been hard to enjoy without the adventure and heat of the first book and the anticipation of the upcoming finale.

I LOVED the first book in this series. It made me wonder why I hadn’t kept up with everything Tahereh Mafi writes. I loved the writing, the intricate magic system, and story world. The bits of history. The political intrigue. I loved how it feels as though the central characters are caught up in an unseen battle between the devil and the gods.

I am glad I read the second book, but I definitely struggled with it. The first hint I noticed that this one might be a harder read for me was when I read the cover copy for the third book. Everything from the first book was basically already in place for that third novel to begin. I worried that might mean the second book would be a little thin plotwise and kind of suffer from second-book-syndrome, where the middle book in a series really serves as a bridge between the first and third.

And, yeah. I mean, a few key things happened, for sure. Kamron faces some interesting discoveries, so I am glad those came to light. I didn’t feel like there was much development between Alizeh and Cyrus, though. Stuff happened, sure. So much of it was the two of them going back and forth and having the same conversation again and again.

Alizeh feels disgusted by him. Angry. After all, he kidnapped her. Then, she sees him as a tortured soul and feels sorry for him. Then he ticks her off again. Around and around. I don’t know. I think if Cyrus was a point-of-view character, I might have invested in his story more and had more patience with Alizeh’s feelings. I’m not sure.

Conclusion

I enjoyed a lot of moments in the story, especially in Kamron’s viewpoint. His scenes with Hazan were among my favorites. I love Hazan’s firefly.

At this point, I haven’t read the third book, but I’m honestly wondering if this could have been a duology instead of a trilogy. I’m invested enough in the story that I want to read the third book, but I will probably wait a little bit to do that.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Based on Persian folklore.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Alizeh’s gown was very nearly destroyed just before this novel begins. She notes several times that she’s very exposed until she can change out of the dress. A few scenes later, she spills her tea down the front of her white gown, and someone remarks that they can see through the bodice.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. One character has made a bargain with the devil, Iblees. This means his life will be forfeit if he doesn’t do the things he agreed to do.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some descriptions of a battle that left a young man on the brink of death.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Pablo and Splash: Time-Traveling Penguins by Sheena Dempsey

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

Pablo and Splash: Time-Traveling Penguins
Sheena Dempsey
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published September 3, 2023

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About Pablo and Splash: Time-Traveling Penguins

Join time-traveling penguins Pablo and Splash on an unexpected adventure to the time of the dinosaurs in this hilarious full-color graphic novel, perfect for fans of Dog Man and InvestiGators.

Antarctic penguins Pablo and Splash are polar opposites and besties for life. Pablo is a home-bird and a careful planner. Splash is easily bored and hungry for adventure. Sick to her flippers of the harsh, freezing weather, Splash persuades Pablo to go on a beach vacation with her. When they accidentally find themselves in a scientist’s time machine, they end up on the beach….back in the age of dinosaurs! Can Pablo and Splash make their way home before they become dino snacks?

This full-color graphic novel is perfect for animal lovers, reluctant readers, and graphic novel fans!

My Review

This is a fun read. The story follows the duo Pablo (the practical, methodical penguin) and Splash (the creative dreamer) as they decide they need a vacation from the bitter cold of Antarctica. The character differences between the two penguins make for a lot of humorous moments and silliness that young readers will appreciate.

What could make a graphic novel about penguins even more fun? If you said dinosaurs, then this is the perfect book for you. Haha! What’s wild is that immediately when I saw this book, I thought of my nephew, who loves both penguins and dinosaurs and is going to think this is a hoot. So, weirdly, it’s not as niche a market as one might initially think.

Dino lovers will also appreciate that the dinosaur species are easily identifiable, and the story includes a bit of trivia about a few of the prehistoric animals that appear in the story. There are also a few facts about different prehistoric periods, with maps showing changes in land masses.

The book is about 220 pages, so it’s comparable to the length of the InvestiGators series books. Readers looking for a light, goofy graphic novel will get exactly that, with bonus science facts here and there.

This is definitely one I’ll keep around for the late elementary-aged readers in my life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 7 to 10.

Representation
Main characters are a boy and girl penguin. There’s a female scientist who appears briefly.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. The penguins run from a scientist who appears to try to capture them. The capsule they hide in takes them on a journey with a destination of the sun, and they panic as the interior of the ship gets hotter and hotter before they’re able to change course.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

Check out the weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

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

Animal Farm
George Orwell
Signet Classics
Published April 1, 1996 (Orig. 1945)

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About Animal Farm

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned –a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

When ANIMAL FARM was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

My Review

I’d never read ANIMAL FARM before, but I’ve heard lots of people talk about it. It was a pretty quick read, honestly. The story moves quickly and the telling of it is straightforward. The toughest thing about it is the number of named characters. The names felt kind of random to me. I kept mixing up Clover (horse?) and Muriel (a goat, I think?), and I’m not sure what the dogs’ names were.

I started listening to the audiobook, but ended up switching to an ebook version from the library. Tthe name confusion, and the fact that things happened so quickly made me feel like I had to really pay attention. If you want to do the audiobook version and find the large cast difficult, it might be helpful to make a cheat sheet of names and descriptions to keep handy.

Anyway, the story progresses quickly. The animals get rid of the farmer and celebrate their newfound freedom. Only, before too much more happens, the pigs place themselves in charge. They’re the most educated– having learned to read and write. Some of the other animals try to learn but can’t manage it. One opts out because he believes things will always be bad no matter what he does.

Honestly the way things unfold, with this steady creep toward total control by one character and various levels of willful ignorance or futile truth-telling by others reminded me a lot of LORD OF THE FLIES. It’s kind of a “what happens when someone pursues absolute power” sort of story.

There’s more to it than that, of course. Orwell wrote the story with an eye toward Stalinism and what was happening in Russia at the time. You can read more about that if you search for an analysis of the book.

Conclusion

Overall, it really made me think about the importance of not taking freedom for granted and not accepting what someone in power says without at least doing some critical thinking about it. I’m glad I read the book, and I can see why the story has endured.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are farm animals.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A raven tells the animals stories of a place called Sugarcandy Mountain, where he says animals go after they die and live a life of ease and bliss.

Violent Content
Animals rebel, fighting against and chasing off the farmer and farm workers. One man is kicked in the head and goes unconscious. A few animals are injured when they’re shot. Dogs kill several other animals.

Drug Content
Mr. Jones, the farmer, drinks too much alcohol and neglects the animals. Some of the animals drink alcohol.

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