Tag Archives: first love

Review: Vasilisa by Julie Mathison

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Vasilisa by Julie Mathison

Vasilisa (Old Rus #1)
Julie Mathison
Starr Creek Press
Published February 23, 2021

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About Vasilisa

Three witches, two children, one ogre — and nowhere to run.

It’s 1919, but in Edenfall, Pennsylvania, the Great War is not over — not for Vasilisa, at least. Papa is presumed dead on the fields of Flanders, Mama is being courted by an absolute ogre, and now Babka, her beloved grandma, has had a bad spell. Or has she fallen under one? Only the Old Tales, the Russian fables Vasilisa was raised … Continue reading →

Review: Smash It! by Francina Simone

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Smash It by Francina Simone

Smash It!
Francina Simone
Inkyard Press
Published September 22, 2020

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About Smash It!

Refreshingly authentic and bold… Don’t miss this smashing #ownvoices novel from Francina Simone! Filled with heart, humor and a heroine to root for, Smash It! is a perfect read for fans of Julie Murphy, Ibi Zoboi and Ashley Poston.

Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what … Continue reading →

Review: Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

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Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con #3)
Ashley Poston
Quirk Books
Published August 4, 2020

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About Bookish and the Beast

In the third book in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series, Beauty and the Beast is retold in the beloved Starfield universe.

Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they … Continue reading →

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir cover shows a girl with hair blowing in the wind behind a crouching warrior in a hooded cape.

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1)
Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill Press
Published April 28, 2015

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About An Ember in the Ashes

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired … Continue reading →

Review: The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

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The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

The Music of What Happens
Bill Konigsberg
Arthur A. Levine Books
Published February 26, 2019

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About The Music of What Happens

Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn’t … Continue reading →

Review: Start Here by Trish Doller

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Start Here by Trish Doller shows a pile of polaroid photos of a sailing trip and one of two girls.

Start Here
Trish Doller
Simon Pulse
Published August 13, 2019

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About Start Here

Two teens go on a life-changing sailing trip as they deal with the grief of losing their best friend in this heartwrenching, hopeful novel from the author of Something Like Normal and In a Perfect World.

Willa and Taylor were supposed to spend the summer after high school sailing from Ohio to Key West with their best friend, Finley. … Continue reading →