Category Archives: Romance

Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3)
Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Company
Published June 17, 2014

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About Ruin and Rising

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

My Review

It took me a really long time to read this series, which is odd, because I LOVED Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Once I got into the first book, Shadow and Bone, I had no trouble reading all the way through. I loved the story world and the inspiration from czarist Russia. I loved the magic and the struggle for and against power that would allow Alina to defeat the Darkling but also possibly lose her soul in the process of acquiring that power.

Through the whole series, I had kind of mixed feelings about Mal and Alina. I like them individually more than I liked them together, I think. Which is weird, I guess? Maybe I just liked Nikolai (the outlaw prince) more than Mal? I mean, I did like him more than Mal, but I’m not sure that was why the romance sat oddly with me.

I liked the plot of RUIN AND RISING, and especially the way things built up to the climax of the story. The final battle had that no holds barred, everything we’ve got, completely desperate, so weird it just might work sense to it that really drew me in. I loved every minute of it, even all the heartbreaking ones.

All in all, I feel like this was a fierce conclusion to a great story. I’m both sorry that I read SIX OF CROWS first rather than this series, but also glad I read them in this order so that I can jump straight into KING OF SCARS and get more of Nikolai’s journey. I’m definitely going to read that as soon as I can!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The story setting is inspired by tsarist Russia. There’s a great interview with Leigh Bardugo about this in the Atlantic. Two minor female characters are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl, references to sex. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural abilities referred to as small science. These can be things like gathering light or darkness or causing someone’s heart to explode without touching them.

Violent Content
Some battle violence and situations of peril. References to torture. Some brief, graphic descriptions of battle. The Darkling controls monsters made of darkness that can only be killed by Alina’s abilities. Two people are stabbed in the heart.

Drug Content
Some social drinking.

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

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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

Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2)
Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Co.
Published June 4, 2013

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About Siege and Storm

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

My Review

I have some complex feelings about this book. I really like Alina and her internal struggle over her power and the pull toward more versus her fight to stay herself. I love the way Nikolai kind of mentored her and teased her. I like his character a lot. I’m not such a huge fan of Mal, to be honest. I feel like he keeps disappointing me, so I’m not super invested in the relationship between him and Alina other than that it’s her true self who loves Mal, and as long as that love is still there, she’s still her, if that makes sense.

In terms of plot, SIEGE AND STORM takes an interesting route. Alina finds another amplifier near the beginning of the story and then spends the rest of the book rallying people to try to fight the Darkling. So that was different than the first book, for sure. I loved watching Alina learn to navigate politics and some of the back and forth between her and some of the other characters.

I enjoyed reading both SIEGE AND STORM and SHADOW AND BONE, though, and I definitely want to finish the series before Netflix releases the show later this month.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The story setting is inspired by tsarist Russia. There’s a great interview with Leigh Bardugo about this in the Atlantic.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and tension between a boy and girl. In one scene, a boy kisses a girl without consent. She kicks him. At one point, a girl brings someone into her bed, kissing him.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural abilities referred to as small science. These can be things like gathering light or darkness or causing someone’s heart to explode without touching them.

Beyond that, though, a powerful Grisha has used forbidden magic to unleash a swath of darkness across Ravka. Alina hopes to find a way to use her sun summoner ability to destroy that darkness.

Violent Content
Some battle violence and situations of peril. Alina and her team face enemy soldiers and deadly monsters made of darkness. Some of the battles are described in detail.

Drug Content
Some social drinking.

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

Review: Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

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Kisses and Croissants
Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
Delacorte Press
Published April 6, 2021

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About Kisses and Croissants

Seventeen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of romances like LOVE AND GELATO, this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love.

My Review

I couldn’t resist this book on so many levels: a summer in Paris, ballet dancing, mysterious rumors about a Degas painting, and of course a whirlwind romance. It didn’t take me long to read through the whole thing. In fact I ended up staying up far too late one night, telling myself, “just one more chapter” all the way until the end. I loved the way the relationships developed– especially the friendship between Mia and Audrey. But I also loved the relationship between Mia and her teacher (not a romantic relationship) as well as the one between Mia and her mom.

Reading about ballet was also super fun. One summer when I was a teenager, I went to a professional ballet camp, so it brought back a LOT of memories and I found myself nodding along with some of the things Mia goes through. I felt like it really nailed the whole ballet camp experience. I also loved the way the search for a Degas painting pulled the story forward and tied a lot of the individual pieces– her relationship with ballet, her mom, and her relationship with Louis– together.

The romance between her and Louis was really sweet, too. Having the adventure of finding the painting helped it feel really big and more essential than just hanging out and falling in love. I thought that was super clever the way that played out.

On the whole, I think fans of Jenna Evans Welch, Jennifer E. Smith, and fans of ONE PARIS SUMMER by Denise Grover Swank will love this book.

Content Notes for Kisses and Croissants

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One of the instructors gives harsh criticism to the students.

Drug Content
Mia and her friends (who are around 16 years of age) drink alcohol several times.

More Books Like Kisses and Croissants

One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

A young pianist is forced to spend the summer in Paris with her dad and his new wife and unexpectedly finds love.

Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

Liv travels to Greece to help her estranged father film a documentary about Atlantis myths and finds love along the way.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

After one night spent on the rooftops of Manhattan, Lucy and Owen go separate ways, traveling the world but longing to find their way back to each other.

In a Perfect World by Trish Doller

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

When her mother moves the family to Egypt to open an eye clinic, the last thing Caroline is expecting to find is love.

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

Review: Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Fragile Remedy
Maria Ingrande Mora
Flux
Published March 9, 2021

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About Fragile Remedy

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs—a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.

My Review

So much happens in this one story that I’m having a hard time knowing where to begin.

I loved Nate’s character. He’s young and inexperienced and fierce and hopeful and a little bit self-loathing. I also loved the characters in the gang. Reese is loyal and true, always sticking to his values. Pixel is adorable. And the rest of the girls made it feel like such a little family.

Nate also has a relationship with Alden, a curio shop owner, drug addict, and man with connections. And Remedy, which Nate needs to live. It’s a complex relationship. I feel like I’d need a psychology degree to pick it apart. There are some really unhealthy elements to it, and yet somewhere in there is a protectiveness and loyalty and maybe even friendship? But it’s pretty enmeshed with the other elements, too.

The story itself moves forward pretty quickly. In Nate’s dystopian city, it’s dangerous to stay still too long, and that sense came through in the plot. Though it’s not a story about addiction, the story explores some of the damage that addiction causes, not just to the individual with the problem, but to the family and community. It also explores darker ideas, like using drugs to create dependent people and maintain control.

It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian story, and FRAGILE REMEDY definitely hit a lot of good notes for me. It made me uncomfortable sometimes, but usually in a way that made me think more deeply about the issues at hand. I think readers who enjoy books that explore addiction or dystopian stories will want to add this one to their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nate and several other characters are gay. One member of the gang is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used maybe once or twice per chapter on average.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to arousal.

Spiritual Content
Some people worship the Old Gods. Others have no spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Scenes show kidnapping and a mob attacking someone. Other scenes show the aftermath of characters injured by others.

Drug Content
One character is a drug addict. Others find the properties of GEM blood addicting.

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

Review: Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore

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Can’t Take That Away
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
Published March 9, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Can’t Take That Away

An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother’s spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.

Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey’s tormentor and others in the school. It’s up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights–and they refuse to be silenced.

Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore’s CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.

My Review

I had a lot of fun reading this book, but I’m not going to lie– some parts were hard, not because of the storytelling, but because they were hard things. I cried more than once. But I laughed a lot, too. Carey has the best friends. I loved how they rallied around them and offered support and solidarity.

This will surprise exactly no one who knows me, but I LOVED the relationship between Carey and their grandmother. I was super close to my grandmother who also had a form of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the feelings of support and that intergenerational connection totally resonated with me.

Also the food! I’m the most curious about the mint in the meatballs and sauce– which is apparently totally a thing! I also grew up with (and now make) homemade marinara and meatballs, but I’ve never used mint in them. Now I want to experiment.

Also the music. I loved the homage to Mariah Carey and the way that music is such a huge part of this story. I also loved that while Carey’s audition for Wicked was important, the story didn’t center around that moment. Rather, I felt like it elevated Carey’s participation in the musical to be a part of something so much bigger and really, more essential: their right to respect and equality.

Books that craft a meaningful community always seem to stick with me, and I think CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY will be no exception. I loved that Carey’s what began with Carey’s friends and family expanded to touch their whole community. I felt like the book ended on such a huge high note, and really left me feeling inspired and hopeful.

I think readers who enjoyed MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley or books about theater and music will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Carey is genderqueer. Another character identifies as bisexual, another as lesbian, and another as pansexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used regularly through the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a genderqueer teen and boy. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
One character talks about a person who has died watching over them, feeling them present at a significant moment.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
References to queerphobic terms a few times without the words being named. In one instance, a slur is used.

There are also some instances of bullying and physical assault.

Drug Content
Carey’s mom offers Carey’s friend group small glasses of champagne to celebrate a victory.

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

Review: Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

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Down Comes the Night
Allison Saft
Wednesday Books
Published March 2, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Down Comes the Night

He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.

Allison Saft’s DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is a snow-drenched romantic fantasy that keeps you racing through the pages long into the night.

Love makes monsters of us all.

My Review

Every year there are a few books that are so good I end up buying at least one extra copy (for lending, of course!) and pestering everyone near me to READ IT READ IT READ IT!! (Special thanks to my friends who actually do read the things– you’re the best friends a girl could ask for. <3)

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is absolutely one of those books. I am so in love with it. The wrestling over compassion– is it a weakness or a strength? The sparring (verbal and otherwise) between people who are on the brink of war. The investigation into mysterious deaths inside a wealthy icon’s country manor. I can’t even believe all of those things fit so well into one story, but they really did. It was like the perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, romance and exploration into humanity. Have I mentioned that I LOVE THIS BOOK yet?

The characters totally captivated me. Wren with her impulsive big-heartedness and her complex relationship with her aunt and commanding officer. She and Una, her captain, had me at page one. And then, Henry, who was destined to be a favorite since I love the strong silent type. So many layers. And the back and forth between him and Wren was both hilarious and heartbreaking.

I guess the only thing I could say against this book is that aside from the emotional coming-of-age Wren experiences, there isn’t a lot here that’s truly YA. Wren is an experienced medic and seasoned soldier. I didn’t mind that because I love the story so much, but if you’re looking for something with a very young adult feel, this book might not scratch that itch.

I’ve been listening to the Shadow and Bone trilogy lately, and I definitely think fans of Leigh Bardugo will enjoy DOWN COMES THE NIGHT. I think it will also appeal to fans of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Una, Wren’s best friend, is described as having ochre skin. Wren and Una shared a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. References to them spending nights together. Una is Wren’s superior officer, though the girls have been friends since before that, but it could make their relationship problematic. Wren clearly loves Una, but it’s also clear that she has little control of the relationship.

Kissing between boy and girl. One scene shows some intimate kissing that leads into undressing and hints at more before the scene ends.

Spiritual Content
Wren’s people serve a Goddess, but she herself doesn’t believe any longer. Henry’s people serve a God, but he has strong doubts as well. They discuss some of the religious values of each and the way they’ve been twisted by leaders to serve political purposes.

Violent Content
Some battle scenes and references to torture and self-mutilation.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine socially. Wren is an expert in poisons and antidotes through her medical studies. She also carries opiates as a pain reliever for her patients. She suspects one character may be using laudanum.

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