Category Archives: By Genre

Review: Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,
Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg

Breaking Time
Sasha Alsberg
Inkyard Press
Published June 14, 2022

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About Breaking Time

Fate brought them together. Time will tear them apart.

When a mysterious Scotsman appears out of nowhere in the middle of the road, Klara thinks the biggest problem is whether she hit him with her car. But, as impossible as it sounds, Callum has stepped out of another time, and it’s just the beginning of a deadly adventure. 

Klara will soon learn that she is the last Pillar of Time—an anchor point in the timeline of the world and a hiding place for a rogue goddess’s magic. Callum is fated to protect her at all costs. A dark force is hunting for the Pillars, to claim the power of the goddess—and Klara and Callum are the only two standing in the way. Thrown together by fate, the two have to learn to trust one another and work together…but they’ll need to protect their hearts from one another if they’re going to survive.

My Review

I think I was hoping for a SEEKER vibe from this book. Long tradition of people trained to protect a magical portal or something. Time travel to stop the bad buy from stealing the magic. Something like that. BREAKING TIME isn’t that story, not exactly. Which is okay. I made assumptions from the cover copy that turned out to be inaccurate.

At the beginning of the story, Klara doesn’t know she’s anybody important. She doesn’t believe in spiritual stuff– she’s much more comfortable with things being explained by science. Then a sixteenth century Scotsman pretty much tumbles into her life, and suddenly her scientific explanations come up empty.

I liked the story and the tension between Callum and Klara. I wish that some questions would have been answered, though. Like, Callum travels in time, but how? The story didn’t explain that. Also, it seems like someone else killing Klara (or maybe even her doing that herself) would have also resolved the magical problem they faced, but that idea never came up, either. I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen, of course, but it seemed weird that the whole magic system that’s set up left that loophole wide open and no one ever addressed it.

BREAKING TIME ends in a whirlwind followed by a pretty steep cliffhanger, so I expect there will be a follow-up novel. Initially I’d assumed this was a standalone, but judging from the ending, I think it’s not.

On the whole, I liked Klara and Callum’s relationship and some of the historical details, but I wish there had been more explanation holding the pieces of the story together. I enjoyed reading it, but I’m not sure I would continue the series.

Fans of The Falconer series by Elizabeth May might enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Both main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Lots of kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are able to travel in time or manipulate time. Klara and Callum have encounters with monsters, spiritual beings, and a goddess. Some references to pagan or druid traditions.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes with some gory descriptions.

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol. One character appears to be drunk in one scene. Klara remembers her grandmother smoking a joint.

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 BREAKING TIME in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Veil of Winter by Melanie Dickerson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Veil of Winter (Dericott Tales #3)
Melanie Dickerson
Thomas Nelson
Published June 14, 2022

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About Veil of Winter

Princess Elyce is on the verge of marrying the nephew of the unscrupulous King Conrad of a neighboring kingdom when she discovers that Conrad will use her marriage to force her people to work in his mines. In order to fake her own death and escape him, she takes a sleeping potion, planning to awaken on the third day and then travel to Prague to seek help from King Wenceslaus, who rules the Holy Roman Empire. But her plan goes awry: the third day comes without her waking up.

Sir Gerard is convinced by Delia, his sister and Elyce’s best friend, to go help the sleeping princess, still slumbering and held captive by King Conrad’s guards. He manages to wake her with a kiss, but the princess is not pleased at this rude awakening. Still, he is her only hope of escape. Thus begins their journey to Prague in the dead of winter, hounded on all sides by elements and enemies. The greatest threat may come from within, though, as they desperately fight against their growing feelings for one another.

My Review

My daughter loves another series by this author, so I often try to check out her latest books with my girl in mind. I think the sweetness of the romance and the Christian storytelling both appeal to her. She likes lots of different kinds of books, but the Hagenheim series hold a special place in her heart.

VEIL OF WINTER is the third book in the Dericott Tales, which is a new series for me. It took me a while to get into the story. I think I expected the story to be about Elyce’s taking the sleeping potion and for the story to be more centered around that. But all that happens in the first few chapters of the story. There was also a big deal about Sir Gerard “kissing” the princess to wake her up, when actually he’d been about to perform CPR for her, thinking she needed to be revived.

Once the story got going and Elyce and her allies were on their way, I felt like I invested more in the characters. I felt like Elyce’s struggle to understand whether it was bad to have emotions or better to stifle them was an internal conflict that I could really identify with. I think I would have liked to see her grow more in self-confidence through the story. She stays pretty passive and sweet, which make her an unusual heroine. I liked that she’s different, but I think I still wanted to see her have the confidence to make her own decisions in a few situations.

On the whole, I think fans of Dickerson’s stories will love this addition to their shelves. It’s a very sweet historical romance with lots of emphasis on prayer.

Content Notes

Elyce’s father is emotionally and physically abusive.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Both main characters (and others) are Christians and pray to God throughout the story, especially anytime they need to make a decision.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some battle scenes (not graphically described). Elyce’s father is emotionally and physically abusive.

Drug Content
Wine served with dinners.

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 VEIL OF WINTER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras

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

Secret of the Shadow Beasts
Diane Magras
Dial Books
Published June 14, 2022

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About Secret of the Shadow Beasts

For fans of Dragon Pearl and the Lockwood & Co. series comes a swift-moving contemporary fantasy about a young girl tasked with destroying deadly shadow creatures.

In Brannland, terrifying beasts called Umbrae roam freely once the sun sets, so venomous that a single bite will kill a full-grown adult–and lately, with each day that passes, their population seems to double. The only people who can destroy them are immune children like Nora, who are recruited at the age of seven to leave their families behind and begin training at a retrofitted castle called Noye’s Hill. But despite her immunity, Nora’s father refused to let her go.

Now, years after his death by Umbra attack, Nora is twelve, and sees her mother almost killed by the monsters too. That’s when Nora decides it’s time for her to join the battle. Once she arrives at Noye’s Hill, though, she and her new friends are left with more questions than answers: Where are the Umbrae coming from? Could the government be covering up the true reason their population has whirled out of control? And was Nora’s father, the peaceful, big-hearted man who refused to let Nora fight, in on the treacherous secret?

My Review

Nora is such a cool character. I loved her compassion and the way she continues to ask questions rather than just accepting the way things are. I loved the journey in the way she relates to her teammates and builds relationships with them.

The story sometimes required a greater willing suspension of disbelief from me. I remember one moment where the team is in a car and someone uses a sword to cut someone’s shirt open. It seemed like in close quarters like that, a sword would be really difficult to use. I also thought it was kind of weird that no one put Nora through some basic combat training at any point. It was basically like, “Okay, you have natural talent, so you’re good. Ready to go fight monsters?!”

Despite those things, I found myself pretty carried away with the story. I loved watching Nora get to know her teammates and build relationships with them. I think readers who enjoyed THE FIREBIRD SONG by Arnée Flores will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
One of Nora’s teammates is trans. Another is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Shadow beasts, or Umbra come out at night. They have the ability to shift into shadows instantly. At dawn, they turn into mist spores.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and battle scenes against Umbra.

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 SECRET OF THE SHADOW BEASTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

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

Home Field Advantage
Dahlia Adler
Wednesday Books
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Home Field Advantage

In this sweet and funny new f/f romance from the author of Cool for the Summer, a cheerleader and the school’s newest quarterback are playing to win, but might lose their hearts in the process.

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can’t stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.

Dahlia Adler’s HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a sparkling romance about fighting for what – or who – you truly want.

My Review

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is one of those books that every time I heard people talk about it, I couldn’t wait to read it. I’m not usually a big reader of football player/cheerleader romances, but I loved the concept of this one and its celebration of girls playing football.

The first chapter was a little bit rough for me because it’s really setting up how much Amber feels like she needs to become cheer captain the next year and why she’s so obsessed with that goal. As the story went forward, those early pages made a lot more sense, but I didn’t feel connected with her at the time I read that opening chapter. Once I got to know her and to see that even though she had very scripted goals and wants, she also had a lot of empathy and determination. Those things definitely made me fall in love with her.

As for Jack– I was a fan from minute one. Her passion, her fierceness, and even her guilt over the sacrifices her family made so she could have this one dream were so real and raw. Honestly, I couldn’t help rooting for her from the first minute to the last. I loved her so much.

My favorite part of the book was actually the part where Jack is on the field, the stakes are high, and she’s not at all sure she can get anyone on her team to come through for her. I feel like I read those pages on the literal edge of my seat, back straight, barely breathing as each play began. So, so good. I absolutely loved that scene (and the cheer immediately after the game, too…).

On the whole, I would say HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a total win for me. I feel like if you read LGBTQ+ fiction, you’ve probably already heard of Dahlia Adler from her blog, but if you haven’t– you’ll definitely want to check out both the blog and the book!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Amber identifies as polysexual (attracted to more than one but not all genders). Jack identifies as a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. References to making out.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some instances of bullying and some homophobic statements. References to one character who was blackmailing and bribing another character because he was gay and closeted.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at parties. One of the football players died in a car accident while he was drunk driving.

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 HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Before Takeoff
Adi Alsaid
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Before Takeoff

The Sun Is Also a Star meets Jumanji when two teens meet and fall in love during a layover-gone-wrong at the Atlanta airport in this thrilling new novel from the author of Let’s Get Lost!

James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn’t be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light–and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually… a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe–at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.

Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos–before it’s too late.

My Review

The first book by Adi Alsaid that I read is WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS. I loved that book, so I knew as soon as I saw this one that I really wanted to read it. Between that and the comparison to Jumanji, I built pretty high expectations for this story.

And… those expectations were met one hundred percent! I loved the weirdness of the airport and all the bizarre things that kept happening. I loved James and Michelle and the way their relationship developed.

The story is told in an omniscient point-of-view, where the narrator zooms in and out of different characters and situations. Normally I’m not a huge fan of that style, but I feel like Alsaid uses it SO WELL in his writing. That feeling of zooming in and out and following different characters all feels perfectly timed and adds so much depth to the storytelling. I love it.

If you’re looking for a book that takes a sideways look at humanity, or dives into the weird ways people react in a crisis, or simply a sweet, unexpected romance that blooms in the center of chaos, this book is absolutely not to be missed. I love so many things about it. This is definitely one that I’m going to pester my friends to read so I have someone to talk about it with!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
James is Latino. Michelle is Asian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene they remove their shirts.

Spiritual Content
Strange events take place at the airport. Snow and rain fall. Fissures open. It’s unclear what governs those events.

Violent Content – content warning for racism.
Some people trapped in the airport become violent. A man confronts another man, using slurs and threatening him.

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 BEFORE TAKEOFF in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

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

Forging Silver Into Stars
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Forging Silver into Stars

When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . .

Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won’t save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can’t pay what they owe.

Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has returned to Syhl Shallow — in the form of a magesmith who’s now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it.

When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious — even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It’s a risk they’re both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King’s Courier, the man who’s been tasked with discovering who’s conspiring against the throne.

Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic . . . where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.

My Review

It felt so good to be back in Emberfall and Syhl Shallow! FORGING SILVER INTO STARS has some cameos by some of my favorite characters from the Cursebreakers series— Rhen and Harper, Grey and Lia Mara… and especially Tycho. Yay! Also, Nakiis, Iisak’s son! I love that he was part of this, and I’m super intrigued to see where the plot concerning him goes next.

So the story is told from three points of view: Jax, Callyn, and Tycho. I loved getting to see Tycho’s point of view after watching him as a minor character in the other series. He’s all grown up now and kind of caught between loyalties. I loved him immediately.

It was also really great to see different sides of Rhen and Grey. I loved the scenes with Rhen especially. (Still Team Rhen!) I also liked the way that Tycho’s history with each of them impacted what he decided to do, and the way his relationship with each of them changed how he thought about the other. Hopefully that makes sense.

In terms of the story itself, I loved the intrigue and the pursuit of figuring out the plot against the crown. I’m intrigued by some of the minor characters. I feel like there’s lots of story for the rest of the series to explore. I hope the next book has a lot more of Callyn in it, because I feel like she kind of got overshadowed by Jax and Tycho a little bit, and I liked her a lot.

On the whole, I feel like this book lived up to all the expectations I have for the story world. I am definitely going to be reading the rest of the series. I already can’t wait to see what happens next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Two boys are in a romantic relationship. Jax’s foot was amputated after his leg was crushed by a carriage.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content – Content warning for rape.
Kissing between two boys. In one scene there’s a brief mention of some sexual touching. Kissing between a boy and girl. One scene shows sexual touching.

There’s also reference to a boy who was raped by soldiers. There’s no description of the events, but the trauma he feels is pretty clear.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to use magic.

Violent Content – Content warning for abuse and miscarriage.
Situations of peril and battle scenes. References to and brief descriptions of torture.

Jax’s dad is a violent alcoholic who attacks him in multiple scenes.

One character who has been pregnant loses her baby. It’s not exactly *violent* per se, but I wanted to include it here because I know if you’ve had a miscarriage, reading about them can be difficult.

Drug Content
Tycho and Jax drink wine together. Jax’s dad is an abusive alcoholic.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review.