Review: Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin

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Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin

Unbecoming
Seema Yasmin
Simon & Schuster
Published July 9, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Unbecoming

Two Muslim teens in Texas fight for access to abortion while one harbors a painful secret in this funny and heartfelt near-future speculative novel perfect for fans of Unpregnant .

In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas.

In response to the unfair laws, underground networks of clinics have sprung up, but the good fight has gotten even more precarious as it becomes harder to secure safe medication and supplies. Both Layla and Noor are passionate about getting their guide completed so it can help those in need, but Laylah treats their project with an urgency Noor doesn’t understand—that may have something to do with the strange goings-on between their mosque and a local politician.

Fighting for what they believe in may involve even more obstacles than they bargained for, but the two best friends will continue as they always together.

My Review

The book begins with a note from the author explaining that she began writing this story about a dystopian future in which girls and women could not access birth control or abortions before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. I don’t know how that change in the law impacted her journey writing the book, but I imagine there were some big, complicated feelings.

This was a hard book for me to read, but I think the author does an amazing job balancing the hard parts of the story with lighter parts, such as Laylah’s Bollywood blackouts. (I kind of wish there were more of those, honestly.) There are also lots of scenes showing baking and celebrating the joy of preparing and eating food together. The book also lifts up the power of support women offer other women. Most of the story’s central characters are female.

Unbecoming also shows the messy side of activism. It’s easy for anyone to believe claims that echo what we already believe to be true and to do harm by perpetuating unverified information. It’s also easy for us to reduce our understanding of people to one idea or one virtue/vice. And it’s easy amid fear and turmoil to forget that we need each other; we need community and a support network.

Though this story left me feeling more somber than many others I’ve read lately, I think it raises some really important questions and offers valuable insights about friendship, activism, and community.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Laylah and Noor are both Muslim. Noor is pansexual and in a relationship with a girl. Laylah’s little brother has Down Syndrome.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
F-bombs appear somewhat frequently with other profanity used here and there.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex. Kissing between girls.

Spiritual Content
Noor recalls attending events at the mosque and why she stopped going. Laylah is still connected to the mosque community and prays at different times of day.

Violent Content
References to the death penalty. References to police brutality against protestors.

Drug Content
Birth control and hormone therapy of any kind are outlawed in the book. Medications that cause an abortion or are used for IVF are also illegal.

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.

Mid-Year Reading Check-in and July Reading Scramble

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Mid-Year Reading Check-in and July Reading Scramble

The summer is flying by this year, but I wanted to make time to pause for a moment and check in on the goals I set for the year. I’m also doing a Mid-year Reading Scramble with The Word N3rd this month, so I’ll post my catch-up reading plans as well.

This whole year has been packed with unexpected challenges and changes so far. From health things to stuff with my girls, I have struggled to keep up with reading and blogging more than in previous years. While I try my best not to stress about my goals, it does help to have things quantified and written down so that I can look back and note the progress I made.

Goals for 2024

To see my full list of goals for the year, check out my Bookish Goals for 2024 post. Otherwise, grab a drink and let’s get down to it.

Goal: Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge

There are 52 optional prompts in the Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge. So far, I’ve completed 20 of them. Not quite half, but not too shabby, if I say so myself. Last year I completed 19 out of 24 prompts, so I’m tracking at that same pace so far this year. Highlights from the challenge? Glad you asked!

I’ve ended up reading several titles that have been on my reading list for YEARS, and I’ve mostly enjoyed them. The audiobook version of The Color Purple is amazing– it’s got some explicit abuse, so read carefully– I imagine this won’t be the only time I listen to the story. It’s a powerful story.

I finally read Nimona because my daughter wanted to watch the movie, and I prefer to read the book first if possible. I loved it, and having seen the movie now, too, I think it captures the heart of the story really well even if some of the events play out a bit differently.

A friend had given me a copy of The Hazel Wood years ago, and I kept promising myself I’d read it. While waiting on a hold through my library, I noticed that the audiobook version of this one was available, so I dove in. And, wow. It’s not the story I expected, but I got lost in the twisty, dark fairytales and the quest to bring family back together.

Goal: Read Harder Reading Challenge

I’m also working on the Read Hard(er) Challenge by Book Riot, which has 24 prompts. At this point, I’ve completed 13 of them, which is right on track. Here are a few favorites…

Killers of the Flower Moon was an impulse read. My library had the audiobook version, and the title was too intriguing to pass up. It opened up a chapter of history I knew almost nothing about (thank you, Florida education system) and completely blew me away. I highly recommend it.

Black Girl You Are Atlas was on my reading list, and in fact, I already owned the ebook version because I love Renée Watson and will read anything she writes. The poems are powerful and inspiring, and the collage illustrations are absolutely breathtaking.

Conditions of a Heart is a contemporary romance about a girl with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which I wasn’t familiar with. The story explores Brynn’s experience navigating high school life and relationships and her conflicting feelings about talking to others about her disability.

Goal: Read 200 Books

I’m totally on track for this. As of the end of June, I’d read almost 140 books this year. I’ve had a wacky year with some health stuff coming up and parenting challenges, so I’m pretty proud to have read so many. About 20 I read as audiobooks, and another 20 are graphic novels, so that does make it a little easier to keep this kind of pace.

Goal: Read 3-5 More Classics, Especially by Women or BIPOC

This has been another ongoing project for me. There are a ton of classic works that I simply haven’t read, and I’d like to add a few to the list of those I’ve read each year. Here’s what I’ve read this year besides The Color Purple, which I talked about already.

Wuthering Heights was a reread for me since I read it in high school. I remember that I didn’t like it then, but I didn’t like Pride and Prejudice when I read it in school, either, and it’s a favorite now. I gave it another chance, and I’m sorry to say it’s still a massive nope for me. Too many people abuse one another around a narrator who is powerless to stop them.

This year I read Sense and Sensibility for the first time. It was a little confusing, since I’m fairly familiar with the BBC movie version, so I actually listened to the audiobook more than once because some scenes happened so differently than the movie shows. I enjoyed it a lot, though. When I’m not reading Austen, I always forget how funny she is.

Another classic on my reading list for a LONG time is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I listened to the audiobook version read by the author, and wow. She writes so emotively about how children think and perceive things. The book describes a time in history that I don’t think I’ve ever read about from a Black author’s perspective– which seems wild to me. (More thanks, Florida education system.)

Goal: Donate Books and Manage the Book Hoard

I think I’ve actually been doing okay with these goals this year. I’ve sent five or six boxes of books to a juvenile detention center through information posted on Sentences Book Donations Facebook page. I’ve donated a few bags of books to my local library as well.

Sorting the book hoard is still a work in progress. I’m close to having a good system for books coming in and going out. I need a basket or designated spot for books I plan to send to a JD center. Once school starts up again, I’ll probably do one more pass through the collection to weed out things I’m ready to let go of, and I’ll have at least one more box or two to donate to the juvenile facility. Then I think I’ll call that goal met.

Mid-Year Reading Scramble with The Word N3rd

I heard about the Mid-year Reading Scramble through Alex at Pucks and Paperbacks channel on YouTube. Since I’ve got a few books that I’m desperate to work into my schedule this month anyway, it seemed like a great way to boost my motivation, get some accountability, and maybe meet some more bookish people. Triple win.

If you want to know more about the Reading Scramble, check out this announcement video from The Word N3rd.

Here are a few of the books on my catch-up list.

There are two titles from Wednesday books on my list as well. I’d also like to read The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin, and The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford.

How is your reading going this year?

If you set goals for yourself, how are you doing? Are you doing any reading challenges or readathon events? Let me know what you’re reading and if you’ve read any of the books I mentioned in this post.

Rockstar Book Tours Review: The Legendary Mo Seto by A. Y. Chan

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The Legendary Mo Seto
A. Y. Chan
Publisher
Published June 4, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Legendary Mo Seto

A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father.

Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.

When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.

The book contains information on a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these powerful moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.

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.

My Review

Reading this book took me back to watching Jackie Chan movies back in the day. I loved the energy of the scenes showing martial arts sparring or competition. Mo is a great character, too. She has goofy, awkward moments, but she is also incredibly sincere and passionate about everything she does.

I liked the relationship she has with her mom. Really, she struggles to understand both of her parents and believes they don’t see her for who she is or don’t value her for the things about herself that she cherishes. As the story progresses, Mo’s understanding of her parents changes, and she begins to see them in different ways.

Her relationships with others evolve as well. Mo and Nacho cling to their close friendship even as sparks begin to fly between them. There are hints at a possible romance, but their feelings remain on the sidelines as Mo deals with more urgent problems like her missing dad and the audition sabotages.

This story has a lot of pep in its pages, making it a lot of fun to read. I think readers who enjoy books about martial arts, movie auditions, or exploring relationships with family and close friends will find lots of reasons to love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Mo and her family are Chinese American. There are other characters whose families are from other parts of Asia.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mo and another character seem attracted to one another.

Spiritual Content
Mo begins to learn moves for a secret form of martial arts. When she executes the moves, she feels happy inside.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some scenes show Mo sparring with opponents. Someone sabotages the movie auditions in increasingly dangerous ways. Two people kidnap others. Mo fights people dressed in black.

Drug Content
None.

About A. Y. Chan

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

A. Y. Chan grew up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area reading all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored other martial arts, such as Wing Chun, Hapkido, and Muay Thai. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.

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Review: A Magic Fierce and Bright by Hemant Nayat

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A Magic Fierce and Bright
Hemant Nayat
Simon & Schuster
Published July 9, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Magic Fierce and Bright

A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow.

Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad that her rare ability to wake electric machines—using the magic that wiped them out five centuries ago—also makes her a coveted political pawn. Everyone seems to believe that her technomancy can help them win the endless war for control over the magic’s supernatural source.

These senseless power struggles mean little to Adya. But when her enemies dangle news of her sister before her, she’s all too quick to leap at the chance to bring Priya home—even if it means teaming up with a rakish, disreputable thief in order to do it. With the threat of invasion looming ever larger on the horizon, Adya must reconcile the kind of person she is with the kind of person she wants to be and untangle the web of intrigue, conspiracy, and deceit that threatens to take all of India down with it.

My Review

Once in a while I read a debut novel and come away from it knowing I’ll happily read whatever the author writes next. A Magic Fierce and Bright is one of those debuts.

The story has so many incredible elements. First, I love the unusual magic of the technomancers. In this book, machines have souls, and Adya can sense them. They communicate with her, too. Honestly, there’s one motorcycle that’s quite possibly my favorite character in the whole book. It’s got a great personality and hilarious insults.

I’m also a huge fan of sister stories, so Adya’s quest to find her missing sister absolutely resonated with me. Her relationship with her overly optimistic younger brother is so sweet, and her antagonistic relationship with Dsouza, the boy she refers to as Bad Day made me laugh. (And maybe swoon, a little bit.)

I devoured chapter after chapter of this book, getting lost in its dense jungle and magic-soaked cities. It’s a fantastic adventure with a sliver of romance. I have no idea if it’s a standalone or the beginning of a series, but I will eagerly watch for the next book by this author.

Fans of Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra or The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi will not want to miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Most characters are Indian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A brief kiss between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Adya prays to focus her magic. She encounters the spirits of different machines and can repair them using magic. Other kinds of magic exist in India, too. Adya’s mother believed combining them could be incredibly powerful, but Adya believes it’s what got her killed.

The story contains other fantasy characters and creatures like giants, elves, werewolves, and vampires.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. A group of mercenaries burn a home to the ground with a woman trapped inside. A powerful gangster executes people who displease him in a cage into which he lowers a spiked platform.

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: The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson

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

The Ballad of Darcy and Russell
Morgan Matson
Simon & Schuster
Published May 7, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Ballad of Darcy and Russell

Darcy believes in love at first sight. Even though it’s never happened to her, she’s spent her whole life waiting for that magical moment, hoping that when she meets the right guy, everything will fall into place perfectly.

But right now, her life is anything but perfect. Heading home from a music festival, engine trouble means she’s stranded at a Nevada bus station until morning. Even worse, it’s the day before she leaves for college, her phone is dead, and she has no cash. Darcy’s convinced nothing good can come of this night…but then she meets Russell. Cute, nice, funny, and kind, this is the guy—and the moment—she’s been waiting for. As they walk and talk, the two connect, and Darcy is able to put aside all her fears and doubts about the future to focus on this perfect guy.

Over the course of one fateful night, Darcy and Russell discover things they never imagined about each other and themselves. But can you really know someone after only a handful of hours? Is it possible to fall in love in less than day? Before they part, both their lives will be changed, and Darcy and Russell will have to decide if it’s worth saying hello when you know you’re destined for a goodbye.

My Review

Until this book, I’d never read anything by Morgan Matson, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The swoony storytelling reminds me a bit of Kasie West, but with a little bit more physical romance. The Ballad of Darcy and Russell features big, blended families and complicated relationships with parents as Darcy and Russell transition from high school to college.

The only part that really gave me pause in the story is near the beginning, when Darcy and Russell meet and leave the bus station together to look for a phone charger. If Darcy were my friend, I would have encouraged her not to leave the bus station with someone she’d never met, especially if she didn’t have the ability to use her cell phone. At first, I thought they left the bus station at night, but then I think it turned out to be late afternoon.

I wanted to enjoy the romance blossoming between Darcy and Russell, so I put all that aside as the story progressed. Their exchanges over puns and fun facts were cute and highlighted their well-suited relationship. The information reveals happened at great moments, and Darcy’s reaction made a lot of sense. Her response to unexpectedly meeting a large group of people made sense, too.

The descriptions of everyone hanging out together and the ease between them despite the nature of some of their relationships felt genuine. It made me want to hang out with a group like that. Those scenes really captured how inviting that crew was and how much Darcy longed for connections, even if she didn’t recognize it at first.

All in all, this was a fun summer romance. It’s exactly right for a beach or poolside afternoon.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
A few minor characters are BIPOC. Two girls (minor characters) are in a relationship. Lots of sets of twins mentioned or appearing in the book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A small number of F-bombs scattered throughout. No other swearing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A couple swims in their underwear and kisses. One scene shows a couple tumble into bed and then fades to black after clarifying that each partner checks in with the other and makes sure they’re okay at every phase of the encounter.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to a bus station in Vegas at night not being the safest place for a girl traveling alone.

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: A Whisper of Curses by J. Elle

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A Whisper of Curses (Park Row Magic Academy #2)
J. Elle
Bloomsbury
Published July 9, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Whisper of Curses

New York Times bestselling author J. Elle continues her magical middle grade series with our favorite witches from Park Row Magick Academy!

While the new Magick Academy is under construction, an invitation to Retreat Week arrives! Before the students leave Park Row, Kyana is grabbed by an Available and, even after she slips from the spirit’s grasp, can’t stop either laughing or crying. Ashley thinks whatever it is, Dr. Minzy, a famous teacher at the retreat, will know what to do. But when the portal to the retreat suddenly dissolves, trapping everyone, Ash Availables are involved. With Kyana acting weird and Russ live-casting everything to the MagickWorld, Ash must say something to the directors (even though she isn’t sure she’s right) or mind her business and trust that Dr. Minzy will fix it?

In this adventurous sequel to A Taste of Magic, can Ashely, Kyana, and Russ figure out what the spirits are up to and save the day?

My Review

I loved getting to visit this magic-infused world again. In the first book in the Park Row Magic Academy series, Kyana has only just discovered she’s a witch with access to a whole hidden world of magic. She enters a baking competition to try to help save her magic school.

Because baking and food featured so prominently in the first book, I expected to see some food or baking in the second book. There is some focus on food, but not baking, like in the first book. What’s really interesting is the way that different foods impact characters and events in the book. I thought the author’s use of them was pretty clever.

I also enjoyed the theme about leadership and what makes a good leader. Several characters position themselves as leaders, from a leading researcher to a camp director to Kyana’s role in student leadership at her magic school. As Kyana tries to figure out how to lead effectively, she learns surprising lessons about effective leadership from the people around her and her own experience.

The chapters alternate between Kyana and Ashley’s points of view. I liked getting to know both girls more and seeing what was happening in their minds as they tackled different problems and sometimes had different ideas about how to help each other.

On the whole, this is an excellent addition to a fun series. I’m excited to see where J. Elle takes the story and these characters next!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Kyana is Black. Ashley is Latine. One minor character wears a hijab.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters can perform magic and travel through portals to other realms. Some characters are not human but magical individuals called Availables who have different abilities than humans.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone grabs and holds characters with the intent to harm them.

Drug Content
Potions and charms have the ability to impact people around them. For example, a sleep potion makes someone go to sleep.

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 posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.