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Immortal Game by Allison Saft

Review: Immortal Game by Allison Saft

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Immortal Game
Allison Saft
Wednesday Books
Published August 4, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Immortal Game

In #1 New York Times bestseller Allison Saft’s enthralling new romantic fantasy, a chess grandmaster will go to any length to save the person she loves the most.

Six years ago, Shea Fury’s sister was whisked away by the High King of the Otherworld, the ruler of the treacherous land of fae. Although Shea has spent the years since dreaming of rescuing her sister from captivity, the Iron Veil that separates the human world from that of the fae has made it only a wish. That is, until an invitation to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime chess tournament in the Otherworld arrives on Shea’s doorstep. The winner of the tournament may ask the High King to grant one wish, and Shea is finally within reach of hers.

But entering the tournament and winning it are two different matters. Dark magic lurks around every corner in the Otherworld, and Shea’s cutthroat opponents are willing to bend the rules to make their own wishes come true. To make it to the end—and to find her sister—she is forced to strike an alliance with her longtime rival, the sharply beautiful fae princess, Ciara of Bri Leith. One wrong move, though, and Shea could lose more than just the competition: She’d lose her sister, her dignity, and maybe even her life.

In Immortal Game, Allison Saft has written a high-stakes sapphic love story brimming with competitive tension set against a lush, Irish folklore-inspired fantasy world.

My Review

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that had so much chess theory or chess playing in its pages. Though I know the rudimentary basics, I’m not deeply familiar with the game of chess. I still followed the story without any difficulty, but I have a feeling I missed some of the jokes or interesting moments due to my lack of familiarity with some of the finer points of the game.

I really enjoyed the whole Fae-chess-tournament part of the book. The magical setting kept things off-balance. Shea’s focus on the game and her need to find her sister kept the stakes high. If you know me at all, you already know I have a special place in my heart for sister books.

Though Shea is super focused on rescuing her sister, the story doesn’t deeply revolve around their relationship. Instead, it shows how Shea’s understanding of her sister evolves from her view of her sister while Shea was a child to now reflecting on her choices as an adult.

The romance might seem a little unbelievable at first. After all, Shea has a reputation as having a single-minded focus, and she has been working toward the competition for years. It seems a wild time for her to get distracted. That said, I was very willing to suspend my disbelief about that as Shea falls unexpectedly (to her) in love.

I’ve read Saft’s other young adult novels, and this one definitely held up to my expectations based on her previous work. The pairing of chess and Irish folklore was a lot of fun here.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some F-bombs. Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are Fae and have some ability to do magic or curse others.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Shea witnesses the gruesome deaths of several other characters.

Drug Content
Characters drink socially. They are of legal age to 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: This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph

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This Thing of Ours
Frederick Joseph
Candlewick Press
Published May 12, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This Thing of Ours

“Both heartening and heartbreaking, this richly layered, sensitive YA fiction debut from Joseph unflinchingly confronts systemic racism, classism, and homophobia via a powerful story of self-discovery and social justice that aims, shoots, and scores.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In an instant, Ossie Brown’s entire future is in jeopardy when a torn ACL ends his promising basketball career. Now that basketball is no longer a major part of his identity, Ossie—a Black teen who doesn’t come from wealth and privilege—must navigate his new place in the social and academic ecosystems of his affluent, predominantly white school.

When a Black teacher encourages him to join her highly regarded writing program, Ossie begins to find a new purpose, buoyed by not only the rich works of literature by marginalized authors he’s now reading, but also by new friends who see him as something more than an asset to the sports program. Everything changes when some students’ viral “anti-woke” video puts the teacher’s job, the writing program, and even Ossie’s friends’ safety at risk—and Ossie must find his true voice.

This unflinching novel confronts critical issues like racism and classism, the treatment of student athletes, homophobia, and book banning while weaving together a moving testament to family, romance, friendship, and the power of words.

My Review

I LOVE books that showcase how people are not only one thing. I feel like it’s one of those things that we intellectually know, but are often functionally quick to forget. Ossie’s identity as a basketball player and a writer invites readers to make space for both parts of who he is.

It’s also such a joy to read a book in which someone finds connection with peers in a deep, powerful way. I loved the way that Ossie’s relationships with Luis and Naima progress through the story. They encourage each other and validate one another’s experiences. I love that.

The story also includes essays and letters the characters wrote for creative writing assignments. I thought that was a neat aspect as well. I’ve seen poetry or short fiction included in other novels that include students in a creative writing program, so I thought it was really cool that Joseph chose to highlight the characters’ nonfiction assignments to show how powerful personal essays can be.

On the whole, this is a powerful, relevant story. It highlights the importance of seeing oneself on the page in the stories that make up the school curriculum, and the way that encountering those voices energizes students.

Readers who enjoy books by Renee Watson or Angie Thomas will want to check out this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some instances of racism and homophobia. A protest turns violent, and an adult hits a teen boy, injuring him severely enough to need hospitalization. Ossie recalls details about his father’s death, which some call a drug overdose. He experiences another personal loss in the story.

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.

Review: Listen to the Girls by Chrystal D. Giles

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Listen to the Girls
Chrystal D. Giles
Random House Books for Young Readers
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Listen to the Girls

When Calla finds out her favorite teacher has been accused of inappropriate conduct, she decides to take action in this powerful story about growing up and speaking up, about listening to others and learning to listen to yourself. Because the more Calla listens . . . the more she realizes that maybe she has something to say too.

“Important and empowering—this story is a testament to the power of girls supporting one another.”—Kate Messner, New York Times bestselling author

What if the truth really is as powerful as it feels?

Calla has always had smart-girl energy. She’s Josiah the track star’s practical younger sister. Charlee and Jacoby’s problem-solving best friend. Attorney Dionne Howard’s model daughter. So it’s nice when someone seems to see her for her, outside of all that. But what if that person is a grown-up who maybe isn’t as trustworthy as Calla thought? Calla’s mom likes to say “Always do what you know is right.” But what if you don’t know what the right thing is?

These are the questions Calla faces on the last day of seventh grade, when she finds out that her favorite teacher has been accused of inappropriate conduct at his old school. Calla doesn’t know what really happened. She does know that people are saying mean things about the girls who have spoken out—and that can’t be right . . . can it? Inspired by her favorite newsblogger, EboniNews (whose motto is Amplify. Connect. Truth. ACT.), Calla has an idea. Can she find a way to ACT?

My Review

Though this topic can be uncomfortable to explore, it’s an unfortunately relevant one. Calla has a lot of questions and mixed feelings as she learns more about the allegations against her teacher. She works through those questions in an organic narrative that stays gentle and age-appropriate. It’s easy to imagine other readers having some of the same questions that Calla has had, both about individual experiences and rumors about a trusted adult.

I like that the story makes space for Calla to work through her thoughts in her own time. Others share their thoughts about the girls who spoke up about their teacher as well as their feelings about the teacher. Calla listens. She forms her own judgments. I love how that’s modeled in the text. I also love how Calla finds trusted adults to talk to when she’s ready.

The author pulls a lot of elements together here that will resonate with older elementary-aged readers who will be familiar with the way that rumors can spread like wildfire online, and how social media can be used both to tear others down and to forge community. Using your voice to speak the truth and support others speaking hard truths matters, and Giles illustrates that beautifully in the book.

This book reminded me a little bit of Chirp by Kate Messner, which came out in 2020, or The Kate in Between by Claire Swinarski, which came out in 2021.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to grooming behavior.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to grooming behavior.

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

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: Chris Makes a Friend by Alex Gino

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Chris Makes a Friend
Alex Gino
Scholastic Press
Published November 4, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Chris Makes a Friend

From the award-winning author of MELISSA, a sweet and tart story about unexpected friendship and family reconciliation.

Chris does not want to be spending the summer with their grouchy grandmother and social butterfly sister. But they don’t really have a choice, once their mom leaves them at Grandmother’s house. They can, however, try to escape whenever they want to — into the woods, where they encounter another kid who is the friend they need to survive the summer.

Only… there’s more to this friend than meets the eye…

My Review

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Alex Gino, so it is no surprise to me at all that I adore this one, too. I’m not even sure where to start singing praises. Ha.

First, I like that this story includes a child whose primary caregiver has a chronic illness, specifically chronic pain. This is something that so many kids deal with, and yet isn’t often represented in literature. Gino presents Chris’s mom’s health in a matter-of-fact, personal way. They share Chris’s understanding of her mom’s pain as well as coping strategies and preferred language and boundaries that are all very personal to Chris’s family experience. All this is phrased as her mom’s preferences, so readers whose experience differs will find no judgment here.

Additionally, one of my favorite things about Gino’s books is how wise the writing is. They relate up-close emotional experiences in a raw, unfiltered way, always making space for the messy, unprocessed feelings that kids experience without judging them as good or bad. Chris has a hard summer, between staying with grandparents whom she loves, but who don’t always do things the same way as she does at home, and worries about her mom’s health, and an unplanned separation/estrangement from her best friend. The story relates her feelings and struggles as she experiences them. I felt her confusion and frustration right along with her.

The story also explores how we check in with our thoughts and emotions, from talking to ourselves to journaling and beyond. Again, this conversation in the hands of a less savvy author could have delved into talking down to the reader, but in Gino’s capable hands, it feels gentle. We experience the wonder of a character discovering these ideas for herself. I love that.

I can’t talk about this book and not mention the amazing reading list drawn from references throughout the book that appears in the backmatter. This is a lovely way to showcase other incredible books and authors. I’ll be adding a few to my own reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some squabbling between sisters.

Drug Content
Chris’s mom has surgery and takes heavy painkillers during her recovery.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Spell for Unraveling by Rochelle Hassan

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The Spell for Unraveling (The Buried and the Bound #3)
Rochelle Hassan
Roaring Brook Press
Published April 28, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Spell for Unraveling

Author Rochelle Hassan delivers a pulse-pounding conclusion to her dangerous and alluring trilogy, The Buried and the Bound, inviting readers into the realm of witches that churns beneath the surface of the mundane—just as it threatens to boil over. . .


After the chaos of the summer solstice, elder hedgewitch Anne Sterling steps in to take Coven Blackthorn under her wing—and to enlist their help. There’s damage control to be done as threats of a fairy war loom and the upheaval in Elphame spills into the human realm. Leo, in particular, is uniquely positioned to influence the course of events.

But Aziza’s top priority is to rescue her oldest friend and former librarian, Meryl, a selkie whose mysterious captor may have closer ties to Blackthorn—and Aziza herself—than she ever realized. To find him, Aziza will venture into the secretive community of witches hidden beneath the surface of mundane society and confront her deadliest foe yet.

Meanwhile, Tristan delves deep into the study of necromancy, certain it will be their best defense against the danger closing in on all sides. But mastery of the infernal arts is not without its own risks. And there are some things you can’t come back from.

My Review

I have been a huge fan of Rochelle Hassan’s books since I read her really imaginative middle grade debut fantasy, The Prince of Nowhere. This young adult series has been a lot of fun to read. The magical world is intricately built and contains so many facets. There are Fae courts. Selkies. Witches. Hags. All kinds of magical creatures with their own alliances and values.

The point of view alternates between the three main characters, Tristan, Aziza, and Leo. Each of them has a different connection to the magical world and different reasons to protect it. Across all three novels, we get to know each of them pretty deeply. Leo is a hopeless romantic searching for the true love he is cursed to forget. Tristan’s connection to magic also came through a curse when he was bound to a vicious hag. Aziza is the daughter of powerful witches, and she travels the borders between magical lands and the regular world, fostering peace between the creatures who live there and pursuing her own magical ability.

The Spell for Unraveling is the third book in the series, and one of the books I most looked forward to this year. Once I got the book, though, I almost dreaded reading it. This always happens to me with a series conclusion. I desperately want to know what happens, but I don’t want the story to be over.

Once I actually started reading, all the things I love about the series came rushing back. The relationships between Tristan, Aziza, and Leo are lots of fun. I love the way Aziza teases Leo, and how Leo protects Tristan. The three of them together make a pretty well-balanced team.

As the last book in the series, this one brings a potential romance to conclusion and hints at a new romance beginning as well. Though there’s a lot of pining and romantic tension across the series, this is largely a closed-door romance. Characters may fall into bed together, and the story picks up when they wake the next morning.

This isn’t the kind of series you could pick up from the third book. If you like the sound of the characters and story world, definitely start with book one, The Buried and the Bound.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Characters in a relationship sleep in the same bed.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can do magic. Fae and other mythological creatures exist within the story.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Scenes depict battles with injuries and fatalities.

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.

Review: Tides of Fortune by Lauryn Hamilton Murray

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

Tides of Fortune (Storm Weaver #2)
Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Roaring Brook Press
Published July 21, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Tides of Fortune

“Bears all the hallmarks of addictive YA fantasy. . . This is going to be huge.” —Laura Steven, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates, on Heir of Storms

Return to the spellbinding world of Heir of Storms in the explosive second installment of the Storm Weaver trilogy, perfect for fans of Red Queen, Throne of Glass, and The Rose Bargain.

Having survived three treacherous trials to win her crown, Blaze is now Queen of the Aquatori. But before she can take the throne, she must set out to find the Eye of the Soul, one of the realm’s most powerful weapons, before another claims its power for themself.

Her journey will take her deep into the forests of Ostacre and into a temporary alliance with the infuriating but undeniably compelling Fox. She can’t help but feel drawn to him. . . but can she trust him? Fortune favors the brave, but will it protect the Storm Weaver on her most dangerous mission yet?

Narrated by not just Blaze, but her brother, Flint, and the newly-discovered Shadow Magi, Elva, the epic journey that began in Heir of Storms continues in the sweeping adventure of Tides of Fortune.

My Review

I think this series is just not for me. I can see how a lot of elements are on trend and will appeal to other readers. It’s definitely got a strong romantasy vibe, and the fact that this follows three different characters, offering readers three different romances, means there’s very likely something for everyone.

It also has some elements that I’m discovering are personal pet peeves. I really struggle with books where part of the romance hinges on her reverence for him because he knows her better than she knows herself. Here, one way this plays out is that she wants to follow her quest to a certain endpoint. He has inside knowledge that this is a bad idea. Rather than confronting her with his inside knowledge, he drugs her and simply takes her where he wants to go. His explanation is that it would have been too hard to convince her to drop her plan in favor of his. While she’s frustrated with his tendency to keep secret knowledge to himself over and over, she never really confronts the way that he doesn’t treat her like a partner in their quest but rather someone he can overpower when he wants to.

Another of the couples in the story is a prince and someone his kingdom has enslaved. He privately offered this woman her freedom, and she has “chosen” to stay and operate as a servant. The whole private freedom thing seemed odd to me. Like, if she did try to leave, how would she be protected? Wouldn’t anyone else see her as an escaped servant? I get that the offer of freedom was supposed to make the romance something other than a master and enslaved person romance; I just had a hard time seeing that it materially changed anything for the enslaved character.

There’s room in literature for all kinds of romantic relationships, but I think I’ve just reached a point where I can’t enjoy or root for a romance in which the characters don’t at least confront these kinds of toxic behavior patterns rather than romanticizing them.

All that said, the plotlines surrounding the magic and the brewing war between the prince and his uncle continue building here. We learn more about Blaze’s past and why she is such a pivotal character in the upcoming war. I can see how the story would appeal to readers interested in stories with big, sweeping fantasy elements and political intrigue. For me, I think some of the story’s other elements will deter me from continuing the series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can perform magic.

Violent Content
Some characters have been enslaved by a colonialist culture. References to torture. Someone drugs a woman because she doesn’t want to go where he wants to take her. Situations of peril. Brief battle scenes. Some instances of trauma responses related to past battle experiences.

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.