Category Archives: Blogger’s Favorites

Review: The Darkening by Sunya Mara

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: The Darkening by Sunya Mara

The Darkening by Sunya Mara

The Darkening
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published July 5, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Darkening

In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne.

Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up … Continue reading →

Review: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

By | | , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

Long Story Short
Serena Kaylor
Wednesday Books
Published July 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Long Story Short

Growing up homeschooled in Berkeley, California, Beatrice Quinn is a statistical genius who has dreamed her whole life of discovering new mathematical challenges at a school like Oxford University. She always thought the hardest part would be getting in, not convincing her parents to let her go. But while math has always made sense to Beatrice, making friends is a problem she hasn’t been able to solve, so her parents are worried about sending her halfway across the world. The compromise: the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy and a detailed list … Continue reading →

Review: Don’t Call Me a Hurricane by Ellen Hagan

By | | , , , ,
2 Comments

Don't Call Me a Hurricane by Ellen Hagan

Don’t Call Me a Hurricane
Ellen Hagan
Bloomsbury
Published July 19, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Don’t Call Me a Hurricane

An affecting and resonant YA novel in verse that explores family, community, the changing ocean tides, and what it means to fall in love with someone who sees the world in a different way.

It’s been five years since a hurricane ravaged Eliza Marino’s life and home in her quiet town on the Jersey shore. Now a senior in high school, Eliza is passionate about fighting climate change-starting with saving Clam Cove Reserve, an area of marshland that is scheduled to be turned into buildable lots. … Continue reading →

Review: Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman

By | | , , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper: Volume Two
Alice Oseman
Hodder Children’s Books
Published July 11, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Heartstopper: Volume Two

Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie’s gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn’t.

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family … and himself.

Praise for the Heartstopper series:

Kirkus Reviews Best YA Romance of 2020

“Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book.” — Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On

“You’ll smile watching Charlie and Nick open up to one another, and sigh as they tiptoe into romance… falling in love … Continue reading →

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

By | | , , ,
2 Comments

2022 Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

I’ve seen this Mid-Year Book Freak Out post a lot lately, and I love the idea. So, even though I don’t usually do tag posts, I’m jumping in. The closest thing I’ve really ever done before that I remember is the end of the year recap post, and I forgot to do that for last year.

How many books have you read so far this year?

Oof. I normally use Goodreads to track this, but my GR shelves are a mess right now. I’ve been reading and squirrelling away reviews of backlist titles. Forgetting to update my Currently Reading shelf, which appears on the sidebar of my blog. I’ve also been meaning to … Continue reading →

Review: Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte

By | | , , , , ,
Comments Off on Review: Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte

Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte

Set Me Free
Ann Clare LeZotte
Scholastic Press
Published September 21, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Set Me Free

Three years after being kidnapped and rendered a “live specimen” in a cruel experiment to determine the cause of her deafness, fourteen year old Mary Lambert is summoned from her home in Martha’s Vineyard to the mainland to teach a younger deaf girl to communicate with sign language. She can’t help but wonder, Can a child of eight with no prior language be taught?

Still, weary of domestic life and struggling to write as she used to, Mary pours all her passion into the … Continue reading →