Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

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Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1)
Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel & Friends
Published May 4, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Blade of Secrets

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.

A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she’s ever made.

My Review

Sisters! A magical sword! Unlikely allies! Those were the reasons I started reading this book. All things I absolutely love about it. I also loved the way it explored Ziva’s anxiety and her need for order and space. I loved the way her relationships developed as even her traveling companions learned to navigate her needs and communicate with her about them.

There were definitely some moments in the book that surprised me. Places I didn’t expect it to go or things that went differently than I thought they would. Additionally, I kind of liked that it over and over explored different types of family relationships. Some were really close and built on a strong foundation, like Ziva and her sister. Others showed what can happen when a new trust is broken or when someone proves to be untrustworthy ongoingly. It also celebrated found family in the team that formed and continued to find reasons to stay together.

I’m super excited to read the sequel to this book and last half of the duology, MASTER OF IRON. I’ve already requested a copy for review since it comes out later this year. Hopefully I’ll get it, but we’ll see. This is the first book by Tricia Levenseller that I’ve ever read, though I do own DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING, and now I REALLY want to read it.

Content Notes

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
The culture worships sister goddesses. Some believe those born with magic are an abomination and need to be destroyed. This is an older, fading prejudice which was once more dominant.

Violent Content
Battle scenes and some brief graphic descriptions battles.

Drug Content
One character gets drunk at a bar. Another talks about frequenting different bars and drinking socially. Though she’s sixteen, it’s implied that she’s legally allowed to 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 BLADE OF SECRETS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Making Waves by Albert Bates

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Making Waves: Saving Our Oceans
Albert Bates
Groundswell
Published August 5, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Making Waves

This book provides an educational and engaging look at the interdependent relationship between the oceans and ourselves, and what is needed to protect the oceans’ ecosystems. Young adults learn about a variety of human activities that affect water temperature, oxygen levels, acidity, ice density, sea levels and sea-life populations.

Bates explains how measures such as blue carbon initiatives to prohibit deep-sea mining, replanting mangroves, protecting salt marshes and seagrasses and restoring coral reefs have benefits that have a multiplier effect–and that it is more cost-effective and financially rewarding to do these now rather than later.

My Review

I’ve read a couple of other books on the ocean, climate change, and the growing amount of trash and pollution in the world’s oceans. It’s always interesting to me to compare the books, because those are such huge topics. There are always places the information overlaps and places it builds on or adds to my current understanding. That definitely happened here.

MAKING WAVES focuses on the ocean (as opposed to books that talk about climate change or pollution and how those impact forests or rivers). There were lots of things I either didn’t know or things that the book broadened my perspective on or put in a more complete context. I had never heard or thought about, for instance, the way that the noise of ships or mining or even sonar can harm marine animals. Certainly I’d thought about how oil spills from mining could cause harm. I had never thought about the impact of the noise, though. So that way an interesting thing to think about.

I liked that the book included some information about microplastics and perspective on cleanup efforts and the futility of focusing strictly on cleaning up plastic if we ignore the problem of plastics being produced so broadly and ending up in the ocean in the first place.

For a short book, MAKING WAVES packs a big punch. It breaks down complex information in a way that’s easy for young readers to read and digest. The pages feature gorgeous, compelling photographs as well as diagrams that illustrate the points Bates makes in the narrative.

On the whole, I think this is a great book for middle school science classrooms or libraries. I think it would make an excellent resource for homeschool students as well, or any young reader interested in knowing more about the environment, specifically the oceans.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
The book is about the oceans and marine life.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

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 MAKING WAVES in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada’s Reef by Michael D. Beil

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

The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada’s Reef
Michael D. Beil
Pixel + Ink
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon  | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Wreck at Ada’s Reef

Twelve-year-old Lark Heron-Finch is steeling herself to spend the summer on Swallowtail Island off the shores of Lake Erie. It’s the first time that she and her sister will have seen the old house since their mom passed away. And while her stepfather and his boys are okay, the island’s always been full of happy memories–and now everything is different.

When Nadine, a close family friend, tells Lark about a tragic boat accident that happened off the coast many years before, Lark’s enthralled with the story. Nadine’s working on a book about Dinah Purdy, Swallowtails’s oldest resident who had a connection to the crash, and she’s sure that the accident was not as it appeared. Impressed by Lark’s keen eye, she hires her as her research assistant for the summer.

And then Lark discovers something amazing. Something that could change Dinah’s life. Something linked to the crash and even to her own family’s history with Swallowtail. But there are others on the island who would do anything to keep the truth buried in the watery depths of the past.

A compelling and complex mystery with a classic feel, WRECK AT ADA’S REEF is perfect for fans of THE PARKER INHERITANCE, HOLES, THE WESTING GAME, and anyone looking for a satisfying puzzle that stretches across decades.

My Review

Confession: I haven’t read any of the books that the blurb compares this one to, so I had no idea whether I would like it going in. I tend to enjoy mysteries with a young narrator (see my reviews of THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE or THREE TIMES LUCKY), so I figured this was a pretty good gamble.

And, you know what? It totally was. It takes place on this small island. The residents we meet are all really distinct characters who bring a lot to the story. I loved the relationships Lark develops between the other islanders. I also loved watching her connections with her family members change and grow, too.

Lark is a no-nonsense girl who doesn’t back down from a fight, ever, so when she stumbles onto an unsolved mystery that might have hurt the people she’s coming to care about, she’s ready to put the full force of her personality behind uncovering the truth.

I thought the pacing of the story was great, too. There’s a lot of tension as we begin to put the pieces together about what happened at Ada’s Reef that long ago night. Interspersed with the tension are sweet moments with Lark and her stepdad as well as silly moments with her and her siblings or other characters.

All together, I’m pretty hooked on this series so far. I loved this book and would absolutely read more about Swallowtail Island and its inhabitants. I think fans of middle grade mysteries like the books I mentioned above or the Northwoods mystery books by Margi Preus would really enjoy WRECK AT ADA’S REEF.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Lark is white and an orphan. A couple minor characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
At one desperate point, Lark states that she’s not religious, but offers a prayer to whatever gods are listening.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

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 WRECK AT ADA’S REEF in exchange for my honest review.

Review: At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp

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At the End of Everything
Marieke Nijkamp
Sourcebooks Fire
Published on January 25, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About At the End of Everything

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS comes another heartbreaking, emotional and timely page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.

Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don’t show up. But when the teens band together to make a break from the facility, they encounter soldiers outside the gates. There’s a rapidly spreading infectious disease outside, and no one can leave their houses or travel without a permit. Which means that they’re stuck at Hope. And this time, no one is watching out for them at all.

As supplies quickly dwindle and a deadly plague tears through their ranks, the group has to decide whom among them they can trust and figure out how they can survive in a world that has never wanted them in the first place.

My Review

I requested this book because both of the other books by Marieke Nijkamp (THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS and BEFORE I LET GO) have been powerfully told stories and really well written– and this one is no exception. I wish I had been in a different place when I picked up this book to read it. Like, I loved the characters, and it’s such a heart-wrenching story. I wish I’d had more emotional bandwidth as I was reading the book, which isn’t the author’s fault at all. I think I just happened to read it when my emotional gas tank was almost empty.

But. All that aside.

So the story follows three points of view: Logan, who communicates via a sign language she and her twin sister developed between them; Emerson, a new resident of Hope who’s also nonbinary; and Grace, a girl with some big anger issues who winds up reluctantly in charge of the group.

I loved the balance of those three points of view. They all have different feelings and ideas about what’s happening and how to go forward in the best way. Each of them contribute critical things to the survival of the group, but in really different ways. I think the whole story could have been told from any one of those perspectives, but I think choosing all three added so much to the depth and breadth of the book.

The plot is pretty simple– a deadly plague disrupts every aspect of life as they know it– but it brings really high stakes. The characters literally face life and death decisions at every turn. I read this book in two days, and I couldn’t not do that. I was absolutely drawn into AT THE END OF EVERYTHING and what would happen to each of the characters in it.

Conclusion

Something about the book reminded me of AWAY WAY WE GO by Emile Ostrovski. It’s a bit darker than that one is, but I guess it has a similar feel in terms of this small, collapsing world inside a culture faced with a global pandemic. I think fans of edgy fiction will like AT THE END OF EVERYTHING.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white. One is mute. Another is Ace. The other is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
One character was raised as a Catholic, but when they came out as nonbinary, they were rejected from their church. They have a lot of (understandable) feelings of anger and hurt, but at one point they express longing to have the certainty of faith in their life again. Sometimes they pray or ask St. Jude to pray for them.

Violent Content – trigger warning for sexual assault, transphobia, and ableism.
A group of kids surround another kid and beat them up. Soldiers shoot and kill a boy who does not follow their commands. A girl sees a boy sexually assaulting another girl and beats him up. Two girls light a warehouse on fire that they thought was empty and nearly kill someone in the fire.

Emerson (the nonbinary character) faces situations in which they’re misgendered or harmed for their identity. Their parents threw them out and their friends abandoned them when they came out as nonbinary.

Several other characters belittle or talk down to Logan because she communicates with sign language and they assume she’s less intelligent or less capable than they are. Those behaviors are clearly addressed and called out as wrong and harmful.

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 AT THE END OF EVERYTHING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Exiles by Katherine Barger

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

The Exiles (Exiled Trilogy #2)
Katherine Barger
Anaiah Press
Published November 2, 2021

Amazon  | Goodreads

About The Exiles

Nothing could have prepared Nyssa Ardelone for the treachery that lurks inside Fortune’s Fall. What began as a joyful reunion with her family soon plunges into chaos, with Nyssa at the center of misplaced accusations that could be catastrophic for everyone. Confused and still grief-stricken over the friends she’s lost, Nyssa begins to question whether her journey to Fortune’s Fall was worth the cost.

When she learns that President Omri has arrested the exiles and plans to send them to the most notorious prison in America, Nyssa’s convinced Omri’s punishing them for her sins, and she sinks into even deeper despair. But there might be a way to save them, and Nyssa jumps at the chance to remedy what she feels is her fault.

The task is dangerous, though, and if she fails, she’ll lose everything. If she succeeds, the people of Fortune’s Fall will embrace her at last, and the path will open for their ultimate return to Maren—the home Omri stole from them fifteen years ago. With the help of family and a few unlikely allies, Nyssa sets out to make things right. But the stakes are higher than before, and her newfound faith has grown shaky. When the mission doesn’t go as planned, Nyssa faces a choice unlike any she’s ever had: press on despite her doubts, or give up and leave the exiles—and everyone she loves—to their fate.

My Review

I think one of the things I liked about this book is that it balances Nyssa’s youth with her power, if that makes sense. Like, I had no trouble believing in her being a teenager. Sometimes when I read YA the characters feel really adult, and even though Nyssa’s an independent person who has been on her own for a long time, she still felt like a teenager. She still wrestled with a lot of becoming-an-adult types of things. While sometimes she took on a leadership role, other times, she was still kind of treated like a kid. That felt pretty true to what I’d imagine a teen in her position would experience.

I liked the moments when she took ownership of her situation and was the person coming up with the plan or idea. Sometimes that role went to other characters– her brother or other friends– and I wish I’d had a chance to see her in the driver’s seat more often.

Based on the way THE EXILES ends, I feel like Nyssa will have a lot more opportunity to be assertive and own her story in the last book in the trilogy. I’m interested to see how all that plays out.

This book hits a lot of the right notes with its dystopian story world and high stakes plot. I think fans of dystopian stories like The Safe Lands series by Jill Williamson or HEARTLESS HEIRS by MarcyCate Connolly will like this series. If you haven’t read FORTUNE’S FALL, the first book in the series, I would recommend starting with that one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kiss between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Main characters believe in God even though it opposes the culture and rule of the country’s president.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some scenes showing torture.

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 THE EXILES in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Insiders by Mark Oshiro

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The Insiders
Mark Oshiro
HarperCollins
Published September 21, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Insiders

San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didn’t mean feeling different. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more alone.

Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor’s closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Héctor discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country—and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure.

Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.

My Review

This book might break your heart. Not permanently. But. It follows Héctor, who’s just beginning at a new school in a new town. He becomes the target of a group of bullies. Though he’s usually pretty outspoken, he’s vulnerable– still trying to figure out how to find his footing in his new space. He has a supportive family, but worries they’ve got enough other things to stress over without needing to take on his troubles. He worries they’d be disappointed in him for not figuring things out for himself. Or for not standing up for himself or letting someone else’s behavior bother him so much.

His experience is so relatable. So raw and real. I love the gentle way the Room comforts and helps him. In some ways, the Room was my favorite character. Héctor is pretty tough to beat, though! I love his sense of humor and bold personality.

THE INSIDERS is one of those books that has a lot of things happening in the background in an understated way. One of Héctor’s teachers reacts to something he says or does in a way that made me think she knew about the Room, and maybe had her own experience with it herself. I love that it kind of stays ambiguous, too, because it hints at the Room being an ongoing force helping lonely kids without letting the story focus on an adult’s experience.

Some moments in the book were so achingly sad, but so many were also full of triumph and joy. This is a story that celebrates friendship, family, identity and food.

THE INSIDERS is the first book by Mark Oshiro that I’ve ever read, but I’m already thinking I need to go out and find all the other books they’ve written. I can’t wait to see more of their work.

I think readers who like HOW TO BECOME A PLANET by Nicole Melleby or FOREVERLAND by Nicole C. Kear will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Héctor is gay and Latino. He has several other close friends who are LGBTQ and/or BIPOC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Reference to a homophobic slur. The word itself is not used.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl asks another girl to a school dance and is asked not to DJ the event because of it.

Spiritual Content
A room appears to Héctor and a couple other kids when they need it most. It transforms into whatever they need, from a janitor closet to a library to a coffee shop to a nap space. Sometimes it hints at solutions to problems they face.

Violent Content
Some homophobia and bullying. Though Héctor is never in critical physical danger, he bears some pretty deep wounds from the way his antagonists treat him, and even begins to experience some depression.

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 THE INSIDERS in exchange for my honest review.