Review: Forward March by Skye Quinlan

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,
Forward March by Skye Quinlan

Forward March
Skye Quinlan
Page Street Press
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Forward March

What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?

Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:

1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn’t even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she’s not sure she even wants him to win.

But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

My Review

I liked a lot of things about this story. It’s the second marching band story that I’ve read recently, and I really enjoyed dipping into that world again. I also thought that, for a story about a girl whose father is running for president, the politics stayed sidelined, except for where they impacted Harper personally. It kept the story about her instead of being about politics, which I think is great.

I liked Harper as a character, too. She’s timid, especially at first, but she grows a lot through the story. She learns a lot about taking ownership of what she wants and deciding what she will do about it.

The story also explores different kinds of toxic relationships, some more obliquely, and others much more up close. Apologies if this next part is confusing– I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

So. Toxic relationships. This is where my feelings about the book are really split. On the one hand, I thought the way the story explored Harper’s relationships with her parents (and her brother’s history with them) was great. Parent relationships are complicated, and Harper’s relationships with hers are no exception. She has to learn when to challenge, when to find outside support, and when to do what they say until she graduates. Those aren’t always easy decisions. I felt her conflict, anxiety, and hurt so much through the book in those scenes with her parents.

I kind of had a problem with some of the peer relationships in FORWARD MARCH, though. Harper, especially at the beginning of the story, is a really passive character who does a lot of dangerous things to self-sabotage. She doesn’t carry her Epipen or her inhaler, instead depending on others to anticipate her need for them. And she surrounds herself by people who do exactly that and more. One girl searches Harper’s lunch plate for rogue seafood (which Harper is allergic to). While Harper thinks it’s a bit much, she’s also touched at what she feels is this girl’s protectiveness.

Conclusion

As much as Harper grows through the story, I felt like this codependent/passive behavior on her part and the controlling or hypervigilant behavior on the part of the people around her doesn’t really get addressed. She has other conflicts with her friends which also end in an unsatisfying way for me. It felt like instead of really working through an issue, she avoids her friends for a while until she feels bad that they’re still sad and then decides to be friends again.

While I think that makes sense in a high school age character, I wish there had at least been an acknowledgement of the unhealthiness of some of Harper’s actions and relationships.

All in all, I both enjoyed and struggled with things in FORWARD MARCH. I’m kind of split on this one. Readers who enjoyed GET IT TOGETHER, DELILAH by Erin Gough may like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Harper is ace and a lesbian. Margot is a lesbian. Other LGBTQ+ minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Reference to explicit text messages (the content of the messages isn’t revealed).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some homophobic and transphobic comments and behavior. Harper worries that her parents will throw her out or force her to go to conversion therapy if they learn that she’s queer. The dean of the school does not acknowledge or respect a nonbinary student’s identity. Some mentions of self-harm.

Drug Content
Some students drink beer at a bonfire. Two people (one student, one not) talk about unhealthy parts of their lives in which they drank too much alcohol and needed to get help.

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 FORWARD MARCH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Daughter by Kate McLaughlin

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

Daughter
Kate McLaughlin
Wednesday Books
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s DAUGHTER is a novel about trying right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with.

My Review

The thing that appealed to me about this book is its core conflict: a girl discovers her dad is a serial killer, and she may be the only person who can get the names of some of his victims and therefore bring peace and closure to their families.

One of the things I liked is that the story explores what members of the public felt about Scarlet and her mom, and how difficult that was for them. People speculated whether her mom knew or was involved in Scarlet’s dad’s crimes. They judged her and sometimes treated her as an object of fascination for her closeness to a famous killer.

I also thought the character of Scarlet’s dad was complex and seemed on point with the little bit that I’ve seen or know about killers like Ted Bundy or Aileen Wuornos.

There are a couple things I deeply struggled with in reading this book, though.

Does the book deliver on its promise to honor murder victims?

First, while I really admire that the author approached the story wanting to bring attention to the girls not strictly as victims but as people in their own right. Scarlet herself goes on a journey of trying to figure out how to draw attention to the girls themselves rather than glorifying or focusing on their deaths. It reminded me of some of the things Courtney Summers said about writing her book SADIE.

I’m not sure that I think this book succeeds in that goal, though. There are news clippings that only mention the girls in terms of how they encountered the man who murdered them. Lots of scenes reference a movie made about the killer’s life and trial. There are lots of conversations that center around what he did and why he did it. What he got out of it. How he saw the women he victimized.

I liked the idea of the news clippings being included, but I think it would have supported the author’s goal more if they focused on the girls themselves or maybe were pieces written by their families or maybe things from the girls themselves? I don’t know. It seemed more like the moral of the story was that the girls deserve to be treated differently, but the story itself didn’t really model that because so much of the story is devoted to learning about what Scarlet’s dad did and why.

Why I Reviewed the Book

If you’re familiar with my blog, you might already be surprised to see that I reviewed this book at all. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of SADIE by Courtney Summers or THE ROW by J. R. Johansson. This book really pushed my limits as far as explicit violence and sexual trauma go. I almost never quit a book, but I came very close to quitting this one.

On the whole, I think this book really wasn’t for me. If you like stories that go up close to really dark topics, like serial killers and assault, then you may really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Scarlet’s best friend is Korean American. A couple minor characters are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. A couple of scenes explicitly depicting sex between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – Trigger/Content warning for sexual violence.
Multiple mentions of assault, rape, murder, and necrophilia. Some details of those events.

Drug Content
Multiple scenes show Scarlet and her friends smoking pot and drinking 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 DAUGHTER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

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

A Far Wilder Magic
Allison Saft
Wednesday Books
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Far Wilder Magic

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

In A FAR WILDER MAGIC, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.



My Review

I really, really liked Allison Saft’s debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, so my expectations for A FAR WILDER MAGIC were set pretty high. For the most part, I think the book delivered on my hopes. The setting feels raw and strange and a bit like a fantasy version of a tiny seaside English town.

Margaret’s character is tragic and closed, but so full. She is a closet full of emotions. Wes is awkward and charming and sometimes a bit doofy, but in a lost puppy kind of way that I found endearing. I loved his sisters, especially Mad and Colleen.

Probably the thing that I struggled with most– which is totally a me issue– is that the book is written in third person, present tense. I don’t know why I tripped over that so much, but I know it slowed me down in my reading because I kept translating it to past tense in my head and then confusing myself. It took a long time for my brain to get with the program on that one, unfortunately.

Other than that, I was pretty easily swept away by the story and characters. I liked the mythical, magical hunt, though I think I kept waiting for something else to happen with the hala, for it to turn out to be not what they expected. And I guess in some ways it wasn’t, but not in the ways I thought it might.

I thought the way the author set up different religious groups/cultures and the animosity between them was really interesting, too. It took me a long time to interpret some of the representation, but some of the clues are pretty obvious. I like the way this reviewer explains it on her Goodreads review.

On the whole, though, I really enjoyed reading it, especially for the moments of banter between characters and some of the sweet, awkward exchanges between Wes and pretty much anyone else. Ha.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up

Representation
Margaret is a Jewish-coded character, called Yu’adir in the book. Wes and his family are Banvish immigrants (kind of a fantasy version of Irish Catholic). Both experience racism and prejudice.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief reference to two men being married. One of Wes’s sisters dates girls. Kissing between a boy and girl. References to oral sex. One scene includes nudity and sex.

Spiritual Content
Margaret remembers Shabbos dinners and celebrations with her father, and longs to learn more about her heritage. Wes has been raised to believe that the hala are holy, created by God and containing part of God’s divinity, so that they should not be killed. Both their belief systems are at odds with the majority culture and religion.

Violent Content
Violence against animals and animal death. Situations of peril. Some reference to racist slurs. Two boys get into a fight more than once. Some animals are injured and killed by a magical creature. A boy is also pretty severely injured by the creature.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol socially.

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 A FAR WILDER MAGIC in exchange for my honest review.

Review: And They Lived by Steven Salvatore

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

And They Lived . . .
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About And They Lived . . .

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he’s plagued with the belief that he’s not enough for anyone: he’s recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can’t quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.

Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love–and be enough for–himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.

My Review

Y’all, I’m so humbled by this book. I started writing my review yesterday, but I really needed more time to let this story soak in and think about how and why it impacts me like it does.

So, at its core, AND THEY LIVED is a romance. But I think what’s really incredible about it is that it’s really about the journey of learning to love yourself. It’s about finding the courage to face shame that we carry, and to dare to be vulnerable, not just through finding a wonderful relationship or great friends, but to be vulnerable with ourselves. To own how painful it can be to look at certain parts of ourselves and process that pain and learn to love anyway.

If any of that sounds cheesy or weird, just know that’s my poor communication. It doesn’t come across that way in the book. The book is packed with these incredible, rich characters and this whole spectrum of emotions. Hilarious antics between friends. Heartbreaking disappointment and hurt. Breathtaking love.

I feel like it’s a rare thing to see someone dare to put so much of their heart on the page in a novel like this, and it come through in such an achingly powerful way. Steven Salvatore is not only wildly, amazingly talented, but brave and wise. It’s not unusual to hear someone (I’m sure I’ve even said it before) describe a book as “necessary”, and I know this book won’t be for everyone (why do I know so many people who only read fantasy?). But what this author does so well, and what we desperately need more of in books, is storytelling that is this honest, this courageous, and this hopeful.

I didn’t even realize it was possible to be blown away by a book the way this one has blown me away.

This is Steven Salvatore’s second novel. Their first, CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY came out last year, and I really enjoyed that one as well. To be honest, I might have skipped over this book because it’s set in college, and I tend to focus on books set in high school, but I’m so glad I’ve had a chance to read AND THEY LIVED. It’s definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time, but also challenges me as a person and a writer.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Chase is genderqueer. Multiple other characters are gay. Some minor characters are Black or Latinx.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between Chase and another guy. Kissing between two boys. A few scenes show explicit sex and nudity.

Spiritual Content
Jack’s family regularly attends a Christian church.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for homophobia and bullying.
One use of a homophobic slur. Some descriptions of other homophobic behavior and bullying.

Drug Content
Some scenes show college freshman (and others) drinking alcohol and smoking pot.

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 AND THEY LIVED in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Elena the Brave by Julie Mathison

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Elena the Brave (Old Rus #2)
Julie Mathison
Starr Creek Press
Published March 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Elena the Brave

Old Rus, a land of witches and ogres, bogatyr warriors and six-headed dragons, magic and myth. A land lurking below the waking world, a fabled land – except for the chosen few.

It’s 1942, and the world is at war. Elena Petrovna Volkonsky is just a schoolgirl in a Pennsylvania steel town, the Russia of her forebears long forgotten – except in tales, sung by her babka in haunting tones. Elena can picture Old Rus clearly as she ponders her pet rock, its surface black and smooth, but its depths strange. Such visions! The snow-swollen Dnepr, wending southward through the wild steppe all the way to Byzantium. Vladimir of the Bright sun, ruling from glorious Kiev!. If only it were real. If only hers was not just an ordinary family in trying times. An ordinary family – with an extraordinary destiny.

Be careful what you wish for.

Meanwhile, Old Rus is in crisis. A dragon flies, a maiden is captured, and the great bogatyr, Dobrynya, is tasked with her rescue. But his son, Mitya, senses treachery on all sides. How can you save a man who will not save himself? And must he venture alone, trailing his father across the steppe where warring nomads range, even to the distant peaks of the Sorochinsk Mountains? He is prepared to do just that when a strange girl appears in the prince’s stables and upends all his plans.

What happens when two worlds – and hearts – collide?

My Review

I think the toughest thing about this book, for me, was reading it in the middle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mitya lives in Kiev, and the city is part of Old Rus. So I felt like, for me right now, every time I read about Kiev (spelling from the book), I found myself thinking of Ukraine and the conflict happening there from Russia’s invasion. I’ve listed a couple of charities below for anyone interested in contributing aid.

ELENA THE BRAVE brings the same strong characters and rich landscape of folklore that VASILISA (Old Rus #1) delivered. I really enjoyed the connection between Mitya and his dad and exploring that complex relationship and the things he learned about himself through that journey.

I also loved Elena’s impulsivity and sense of humor. She often approached a conflict with an out-of-the-box idea which was just what the team needed. There were a couple of moments where I wondered if the book would wind up being more Mitya’s story, but Elena is every bit the heroine that having her name in the title implies she should be.

All in all, I feel like there’s a lot to love about this book and the series. I think fans of reimagined fairy tales or stories based on folklore will love ELENA THE BRAVE. Fans of TRAITOR’S MASQUE (another fairytale favorite of mine) definitely need to check out this series. Also, I would call this book more of a companion story than a straight up sequel. You don’t need to read VASILISA before reading ELENA THE BRAVE. (But they’re both really good.)

Support for Ukraine

If you’re active on social media, you’ve probably come across posts about reputable charities for donating money to support Ukrainians. Here are a couple more for you to consider:

Voice of Children provides psychological and psychosocial support for children affected by war. Their website lists some specific projects and ways they help. (Thank you, Beth Revis, for posting about this!)

World Central Kitchen is an organization that my family has supported, too. They’re currently working with restaurants in Ukraine to help provide meals for those who need them as well as feeding refugees fleeing into Poland. More information is available on their website, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are Russian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some magical elements and references to Russian folklore. Some characters worship a pantheon of old gods, but Christianity has been introduced in Old Rus. The prince and others worship one God.

Violent Content
Brief battle violence and situations of peril.

Drug Content
Some scenes show social drinking.

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 ELENA THE BRAVE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Honestly Elliott
Gillian McDunn
Bloomsbury Children’s USA
Published March 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Honestly Elliott

Elliott has been struggling since his closest friend moved away, and he’s not too sure where he fits into his own family, especially since his newly remarried dad and stepmom are expecting a baby. His grades aren’t too great, he’s always forgetting things, and he doesn’t really like sports. All together, the result is someone the complete opposite of his dad–a fact they’re both very aware of. Elliott’s only solace is cooking, where he can control the outcome, testing exciting recipes and watching his favorite cooking shows.

When he’s paired with the super smart and popular Maribel for a school-wide project, Elliott worries they won’t see eye to eye. But Maribel is also looking for a new way to show others her true self and this project could be the chance they’ve both been waiting for. Sometimes the least likely friends help you see a new side to things . . . and sometimes you have to make a few mistakes before you figure out what’s right.

My Review

I’ve been a huge fan of Gillian McDunn’s books right from the first page of her debut, CATERPILLAR SUMMER, and that hasn’t changed a bit with HONESTLY ELLIOTT.

This book is a little different than her others. It focuses a lot more on the family dynamics in Elliott’s life, specifically his navigating divorce and a blended family. I loved that the story explored some of Elliott’s feelings about having a new half-brother as an older kid. When my family went through that change, it was really hard for me to find resources out there that looked at both a blended family situation and becoming a sibling for the first time as an older child.

I felt like HONESTLY ELLIOTT delved into a lot of big topics, but in a gentle way. Elliott learns a lot about himself in his role as a friend and in his role in his family. I also thought the way his views about cooking versus baking get challenged and the way that his project for school helped him connect to his community and community history.

All in all, I’m so glad I read HONESTLY ELLIOT. It’s so important to have great books out there that center on complex issues of adjusting to sibling-hood and blended families, and I’m really excited to be able to recommend this one.

Content Notes for Honestly Elliott

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Elliott has ADHD. Maribel has celiac disease. Elliott’s best friend Malcolm has two moms.

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 HONESTLY ELLIOTT in exchange for my honest review.