Category Archives: By Genre

Review: Ripped Away by Shirley Vernick

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
Ripped Away by Shirley Vernick

Ripped Away
Shirley Vernick
Fitzroy Books
Published February 8, 2022

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About Ripped Away

Ignored yet again by his crush, Abe Pearlman wanders into Fortunes and Futures for a little diversion. The fortune teller reveals that Abe may be able to save someone’s life. But before he can ask any questions, he’s swept to the slums of Victorian London, where he finds that his crush, Mitzy Singer, has also been banished. Abe and Mitzy soon discover that they’ve been plunked down in the middle of the Jack the Ripper spree.

To get back home, they’ll have to work together to figure out how the fortune teller’s prophecy is connected to one of history’s most notorious criminal cases. They’ll also have to survive the outpouring of hate toward Jewish refugees that the Ripper murders triggered. Ripped Away is based on real historical events, including the Ripper crimes, the inquests, and the accusations against immigrants.

My Review

This book was such a quick read! I feel like I just saw someone recently talking about how so many middle grade and young adult books are intimidatingly long these days, so it was nice that this turned out to be a short book for a change. I think it also fits really well into the upper middle grade/lower young adult gap, where readers are kind of over the books that feel too kid-like, but not necessarily ready for the heavier or more grown-up issues in young adult books. So I liked RIPPED AWAY for that reason, too.

The book takes place during Victorian London, at the time of Jack the Ripper’s murders. The story doesn’t really focus on that, however. Instead, through the eyes of two young, Jewish characters, we see a city torn apart by fear, hate, and antisemitism.

Abe and Mitzy know each other in the present, but after individual visits to a fortune teller, they are flung back in time, where they find each other again. They decide they have to complete a task the fortune teller gave them and then hopefully return to their proper timeline. I liked the idea of their quest and the fact that they bonded over being transported back in time. I feel like they didn’t really have a clear aha moment where they understood exactly what to do and took ownership of the quest and hatched a plan and then executed it. There were glimpses of that ownership, but they were kind of fleeting.

The other thing I struggled with was the representation of Mitzy as blind in her Victorian London life. I’m not blind or vision impaired, so I’m not really qualified to speak about whether the representation was good or bad. What I can say is that it made me uncomfortable at times. I felt like Mitzy complained about it an awful lot, and while I understood that it would be a big adjustment to lose her sight like that, I also wished she didn’t seem to think of herself as less valuable and less capable of solving the time travel mystery as a blind girl. That said, I looked for other reviews that discussed this aspect of the story, especially a review from a blind or vision impaired reviewer, but I’ve been unable to find one so far.

I enjoyed other elements of the story, and I really liked how unique it was. The past setting felt very immersive without being bogged down in unnecessary details. The story and the setting were balanced really well. I liked both Abe and Mitzy as characters, so I found it easy to invest in seeing them succeed and find their way home.

All in all, I think readers who enjoy historical books or time travel stories or are looking for a quick read will like RIPPED AWAY.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Abe and Mitzy are both Jewish. In Victorian London, Mitzy is blind.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. In one scene, a woman uses a slur to identify Mitzy and Abe as Jewish.

Romance/Sexual Content
Abe has a crush on Mitzy.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – content warning for antisemitism.
References to murders committed by Jack the Ripper. Someone throws a stone at Mitzy’s uncle while he’s walking on the street.

Rumors spread that Jack the Ripper has a “Jewish appearance”, sparking attacks and fueling antisemitism in Abe and Mitzy’s neighborhood.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

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

Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #2)
Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 27, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter of the Siren Queen

Alosa’s mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he’s under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father’s justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

My Review

I finally read the first book in this series a few months ago, and I knew it couldn’t be long before I read the second (and final) one. I really wanted to know how things progressed with the quest to reach the island where Alosa’s mother, the Siren Queen was rumored to live. I desperately wanted to know what would happen between her and Riden. And I was very eager for a confrontation between Alosa and her father, because that definitely needed to happen!

The story scratched all those itches for me, and for the most part, I felt like they all exceeded my expectations. The only thing that felt a little bit underwhelming for me had to do with Alosa’s mom. I think I was expecting her to be… more something. Complicated? Morally gray?

She definitely is not a morally pure character, as she’s a siren and behaves as sirens in this story universe do. (See content notes below.) So it wasn’t that she was pure. I guess maybe I just found it a little weird that she was also sort of scripted as the perfect, loving mother in some ways? I don’t know. For sure I read the first scene with her in it and was like, wait, that’s her mom?

On the whole, though, I enjoyed the story. I appreciated that the sirens’ behavior is more strongly condemned in this book than in the first one. And I loved seeing both Riden and Alosa grow as characters and find their way through personal battles and issues to figure out what they wanted from each other.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. She takes of his shirt. In one scene, it’s clear they intend to have sex.

There are also some sexual comments about both women and men.

Spiritual Content
Alosa’s mother is a siren, and she herself possesses the ability to sing and command men to do as she wants them to. All sirens have that power.

Violent Content – Content warning for rape.
Sirens desire to drag men under the water, rape them and murder them. It’s discussed but not shown on scene. There are scenes in which sirens drag men under water with them and disappear into the ocean.

There are also several scenes showing some pretty gruesome violence/torture. Someone shoots prisoners trying to make another prisoner tell secrets in order to save others. Some mentions of childhood abuse. They’re brief, but pretty intense.

Drug Content
One character is an alcoholic and gives up drinking. Alosa keeps a supply of rum on the ship and rations it out to her crew.

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

Review: The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , , , , ,

The Boy Who Met a Whale
Nizrana Farook
Peachtree Publishing
Published on February 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Boy Who Met a Whale

From the author of THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT comes another brilliant escapade. A thrilling adventure set in fictional Sri Lanka, jam-packed with peril and kidnap and a huge blue whale!

Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side… Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating adventure in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all…

My Review

I really enjoyed reading THE BOY WHO MET A WHALE. Razi and his sister are still grieving over their dad’s death when Zheng washes up on their beach. Zheng tells all kinds of wild stories, and at first Razi and Shifa aren’t sure what to believe about them. When two of Zheng’s former shipmates make it clear they intend to kill Zheng, though, Razi and Shifa decide they have to help him escape.

The three go on an adventure over the sea, following clues on a map Zheng’s captain left him. They’re determined to find an important treasure and return it to its rightful owner. Zheng’s two former shipmates, Marco and Cook, pursue them, making it clear they’ll stop at nothing to get the treasure.

I loved so many things about this book. The way they worked together to decode the treasure map. All their plans to outsmart the men chasing them. The way the three of them bonded and became close friends. I kind of wish there had been more scenes with Maalu the whale, though. She definitely played an important role, I think I just wanted more scenes with her or maybe something where the kids helped her, too?

On the whole, I loved this book, though, and I would love to read THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT, which is also by the same author.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Razi and Shifa are Sri Lankan.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Two men chase and threaten to kill the kids. A boy hits a man in the face with a fish.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

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

The Agathas
Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Delacorte Press
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Agathas

Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they’re about to walk into.

My Review

I really enjoyed that this book celebrated Agatha Christie as an author and celebrated her books in a very accessible way. I’m not very familiar with the books, though I’ve seen a movie version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. I also watched this Drunk History video on The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie. That’s about the whole of my knowledge of Agatha Christie.

The book includes a lot of quotes from Christie’s books. I thought those were really well-placed, and they added a lot to my expectations of each chapter where they were used.

In terms of the characters, THE AGATHAS is told from Alice and Iris’s points of view. I liked both girls right away. I felt like it was a little harder to get to know Alice, since she keeps everyone at arm’s length. It was hard to tell how she truly felt about her ex-boyfriend, Steve, and Brooke, her former best friend. I liked how she always had a plan and was clever.

The plot kept a good pace, and I really enjoyed the read. Sometimes mysteries are so serious that reading them is kind of intense, but I didn’t get that feeling here. It was like reading a mystery that also celebrated the genre, if that makes sense? So there were lots of elements of fun.

At the end of the book, the girls talk about the other unsolved mysteries in their town. Could they solve them? It made me wonder if there’s the possibility that this book could become a series? I haven’t seen anything about that anywhere, but I’ll be watching for news just in case.

Content Notes for The Agathas

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Both main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief references to sex. No graphic descriptions. No sexual contact on scene.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – Content Warning for domestic violence and murder.
Brief, graphic descriptions of murder. Some brief descriptions of a girl who was found after being in water for two days. Descriptions of and references to domestic violence.

Drug Content
In some scenes, teens drink alcohol. Twice, someone is drugged by a prescription pill in their beer.

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 AGATHAS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

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Family of Liars
E. Lockhart
Delacorte Press
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Family of Liars

The prequel to WE WERE LIARS takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.

My Review

I first read WE WERE LIARS in one sitting, telling myself, “just one more chapter” all the way to the end. So, when I heard there was going to be a prequel, I knew I had to read it. It’ll be a little tricky to review the book without giving any spoilers for WE WERE LIARS, but I’ll do my absolute best!

FAMILY OF LIARS takes place on the same island that WE WERE LIARS does. It’s an island owned by the Sinclair family, where they stay every summer in beautiful houses with hired staff. The story is told by Carrie, the oldest of four sisters, the aunt of Cadence, the main character in WE WERE LIARS.

Carrie is grieving the loss of her youngest sister, who drowned on the island. Her family never talks about her sister, though, so Carrie feels isolated in her grief. She’s also addicted to pain pills, something that began during her recovery from cosmetic surgery to reshape her jaw.

That summer, for the first time, Carrie falls in love. It’s not like she expects, and the boy, Pfeff, is unpredictable and… odd. He’s very odd. Charming and impulsive. Daring and forgetful.

So Carrie tells us the story of the summer she met Pfeff and all that happened to her family. The secrets that devastate them quietly behind the masks of perfection.

The Tension Gradually Builds

I felt like the story began a little more slowly, building gradually. At the beginning, I wasn’t sure I was going to love it. I couldn’t get a feel for where it was going and whether it was going to have that same emotional, destructive darkness that WE WERE LIARS had that I found so compelling.

Then, the story began to build speed. Power. I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what happened to Carrie, her sisters, her mom. All these broken girls with their secrets and lies. I needed to know what would happen to them.

So I stayed up waaaaay too late finishing the second half of the book, and now I really want to read WE WERE LIARS again to see how knowing these things about Carrie’s generation of the Sinclair family fits into what we learn in Cadence’s story.

All in all, though, I’m so glad I read FAMILY OF LIARS, and I recommend it to anyone who loved WE WERE LIARS. You don’t have to have read WWL before reading this book, but know that FAMILY OF LIARS contains spoilers for WE WERE LIARS, so if you plan on reading both, read WWL first.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Most characters are white. One character is Jewish. One boy is gay. Two girls have a romantic relationship with each other.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Brief touching. In one scene they undress and it’s understood they have sex. Reference to sex. Reference to two girls in a romantic relationship.

Spiritual Content
Ghosts visit Carrie.

Violent Content
Someone hits another person over the head and kills them.

Drug Content
Carrie takes codeine and sleeping pills. Carrie and the other teens drink alcohol.

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.

Review: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman

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

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
A. F. Steadman
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published May 3, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call.

Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.

Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this fantastical middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series!

My Review

I feel like I’m always nervous when a debut novel is compared to really big books or series like Eragon or Percy Jackson. It feels like a lot of expectations for the author to live up to. It also doesn’t feel like a fair comparison since one of the things that makes a series like Eragon or Percy Jackson so memorable are that they had a freshness to them that other books don’t have when they’re compared to being like ones that already exist. However, that soapbox aside, I was ready to give SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF a chance.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the relationship Skandar has with other characters. I loved the way he related to his sister and to Bobby especially. They challenged him to go beyond what he thought he could do, and they supported him even when it wasn’t easy. He learned to trust and support them in return, too.

Skandar’s unicorn, Scoundrel’s Luck, is also a cool character. He’s strong-willed. He has really specific ideas about how he and Skandar should approach the challenges they face in training. Also, he’s pretty adorable in a this-is-a-dangerous-creature-who-could-eat-you kind of way. Ha!

For the most part, the plot of SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF moves at a steady clip, but there are some moments where things stall a bit. There were also a couple moments where things that seemed like they would be really big obstacles resolved easily. Mostly that didn’t bother me. I think there could have been more tension if those things, like breaking into the prison, were a bit harder or more tense.

Another theme that I liked that Skandar’s story explored has to do with loss and grief. His mother died, and he misses her a lot. His dad struggles with depression and Skandar feels pressure both from his mom’s memory and his dad’s health to succeed as a unicorn rider. Another girl in his training class also lost her dad. Both she and Skandar face rumors about their parents or things they tell themselves about their parents that they discover may not be true. Then they have to wrestle with what those things mean.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF. I liked the characters, and I found it easy to invest in the quest to stop the Weaver. I also loved the emotional themes about grief and finding the courage to be yourself. This is a great adventure series for readers who enjoyed THE RAVEN HEIR by Stephanie Burgess or THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND by Catherine Doyle.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Little description of some characters. Some characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters with a bond to a unicorn have the ability to use magic through that bond.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Descriptions of decaying animals. Descriptions of kidnapping. Some combat in competition and training situations. Combat in life-threatening situations.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review.