Review: The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis

The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis

The Raven Heir (The Raven Crown #1)
Stephanie Burgis
Bloomsbury Children’s
Published September 14, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Raven Heir

Deep within an enchanted forest lies a castle where a set of triplets and their sorceress mother have lived for years — safe from the decades-long war for the Raven Throne that rages in the kingdom beyond. Cordelia, one of the triplets, has the power to become any animal with just a thought, and she yearns to discover more about the world outside her castle.

But one day, the world comes to her, when the eldest of the triplets becomes the … Continue reading

Review: The Firebird Song by Arnée Flores

The Firebird Song by Arnée Flores

The Firebird Song
Arnée Flores
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Published June 8, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Firebird Song

The Kingdom of Lyrica was once warm and thriving, kept safe by the Firebird, whose feather and song was a blessing of peace and prosperity. But the Firebird disappeared, and Lyrica is now terrorized by the evil Spectress who wields her powers from within a volcano. All that remains is a mysterious message scrawled on the castle wall in the Queen’s own hand: Wind. Woman. Thief.

Young Prewitt has only known time without the Firebird, a life of constant cold, as his village is afraid to tempt … Continue reading

2020 Bookish Survey

Best Books 2020

2020 Reading Stats: Finally Looking Back

I know it’s already almost March, but it’s been a rough go these last few months. I was kind of on a roll there with my lists and if-we-were-having-coffee posts, and then life threw me a pretty big curveball.

I’m doing better lately, but still having some rough days. Which is why it’s almost March and I’m only just now getting around to posting an abbreviated form of this amazing Annual End of the Year Bookish Survey from Perpetual Page-Turner.

So here it is, in all its belated glory. Let me know if you read any of the books on this list, completed the survey on your own blog, or want to talk about your … Continue reading

Review: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

With the Fire on High
Elizabeth Acevedo
QuillTree Books
Published May 7, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About With the Fire on High

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s … Continue reading

12 YA Books I Can’t Wait to Read Coming September 2020

12 YA Books I Can't Wait to Read Coming September 2020

September at Last!

All the changes this past spring with lock-downs and social distancing and online learning threw me for a loop. It also delayed a lot of the books I’d been looking forward to reading, which meant I spent the summer scrambling to catch up on the ARCs that publishers had sent me. I’m finally seeing a light at the end of the reading tunnel so to speak, and it’s just in time to jump into the amazing line-up of YA books coming out in September 2020.

Happy Book Birthday

Happy Book Birthday to September 1st Releases!

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Best Middle Grade Books from Spring 2020

Best Middle Grade Books from 2020

I don’t know if I’m reading more books than usual because of trying to stay home and avoid COVID-19, or if I’ve just got better contacts and a better sense of the middle grade book world these days, or if I’ve just gotten incredible lucky, but it seems like there have been a LOT of really amazing books published this year.

This list will focus on middle grade books, which are aimed at kids 8 to 12. I’ll do a separate post featuring young adult books, because there have been some fabulous titles there, too.

If you’re looking for a book that will sweep you away, make you laugh out loud, or make you get lost in another … Continue reading