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Review: This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

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This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

This Dark Descent
Kalyn Josephson
Roaring Brook Press
Published September 26, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This Dark Descent

THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US meets SIX OF CROWS in this spellbinding new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, and pulse-pounding action, where the eldest daughter of a renowned family on the verge of ruin joins forces with a mysterious, rogue enchanter and a handsome, ambitious heir to win a deadly race.

Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.

Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira — as well as their own blood feuds to avenge…

Steeped in Jewish folklore, THIS DARK DESCENT is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir … or will another rider’s dagger?

My Review

I definitely see the comparison from this book to SIX OF CROWS. Damian, the mysterious young nobleman, has that same calculating, cards close to the vest thing going that Kaz has in Bardugo’s duology. Unlike SIX OF CROWS, THIS DARK DESCENT follows only two points of view: Ariella and Mikira. I loved both of them pretty much right away. Ari is a self-taught enchanter, grasping for more of her own lost history and the magic of her people that’s since been forbidden. She teeters on the edge of an unnamed darkness as she pursues her magic, and I feel like I was on the edge of my seat, needing to know she would be okay.

Mikira is sparks and frenzy. She’s impulsive, fierce, and fiercely loyal. I wish we’d gotten a little more of her relationships with her sisters Nelda and Aileen. The scenes when she races are so intense. I couldn’t look away. Those moments and some of the behind-the-scenes politics reminded me a little bit of THE SCORPIO RACES.

This is a completely different story than that one, but it definitely has some similarities: strong, desperate heroine; powers that be trying to control the outcome of the race; unlikely alliances; and, of course, a high-stakes, highly dangerous race.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. It anchored me in its story world pretty quickly, giving me just the right amount of detail so that I felt oriented to what was going on but not bogged down in unnecessary trivia. The pacing kept me turning pages from one chapter to the next all the way until the end. There’s also a bit of romance. It doesn’t dominate the story, but I really enjoyed that, too. I also loved the references to Jewish folklore and the way faith and heritage or culture and the complex relationships they can be were celebrated in the story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Some characters are described as having tawny or brown skin. Inspired by Jewish folklore. Also– yay for Widget the cat-who-is-not-a-cat.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Mentions of attraction between same-sex couples. References to sex (happened off-scene).

Spiritual Content
Four Harbingers delivered magic to humans and are still revered and celebrated. Ari is Kinnish, but her family wasn’t devout. Now she longs to know more about the history, faith, and magic of her people, though it’s forbidden by the current rulers. Ari and another woman visit a temple. In intense moments, a couple of characters make reference to praying to gods or goddesses.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Two men attack Ari, intent on mugging her. A man puts on brass knuckles and prepares to beat two men who are restrained. Racers attack Mikira with weapons and magic. She and her horse fight back. A man tortures a young woman, trying to get information from her. A young woman tortures a man and kills him. A couple of scenes show knife or gun fights.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine and whiskey as part of social events. A character tells a story about getting accidentally drunk on whiskey once.

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 THIS DARK DESCENT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Adventures of Mo by Carol Patton

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

The Adventures of Mo
Carol Patton
November 20, 2022

Amazon | Goodreads | Author’s Website (free download)

About The Adventures of Mo

The Adventures of Mo is about an American Eskimo dog named Mo and a bird named Finchy that travel to each US state searching for the owner of a lost key who lives in Florida. But where is Florida? Each chapter reflects an adventure in a different state, touches upon state geography/history, and introduces cardinal directions. Readers guess which state the main characters are visiting based on clues in each chapter.

This is a do-good project. While anyone can download the chapters for FREE on our website, small donations ($1-$2) are requested. The version available on Amazon includes a supplement that is not available on our website. Half of all net proceeds are donated to animal charities and children’s literacy programs nationwide, while the remaining half sustains the series.

My Review

I like the concept of this book. Introducing kids to US geography in a silly, fun adventure between a bird and a dog is a cool idea.

While I like that the goal is for readers to guess which state Mo and Finchy are in using clues from the text, I found myself wishing each chapter had a recap at the end. A recap could highlight the geographical references and show a simple map of the state with Mo and Fincy’s route. An alternative might be to include back matter with a summary of geographical information for each chapter and a large map showing Mo and Finchy’s route from start to finish.

Most characters in the book are animals, but a few humans are included in the story. One is Jason, a man who is blind and uses a service dog. There’s also the truck driver, Alex. In a couple of scenes, the story explores the history of indigenous people in the different states where Mo and Finchy are. I don’t have the expertise to evaluate the representation, but a couple of things left me a little uncomfortable. In one scene, Mo and Finchy meet the god of wind, Gaol, who tells them to call him Jay, since his name is “too hard to pronounce.” Other character names were accompanied by phonetic pronunciation guides, so I thought it was a little odd that this one wasn’t.

The historical references in the book are pretty sanitized, probably for the book’s younger audiences. There were a couple of things I felt would have been better with a little added context or perhaps left out. One other historical note: slavery and the Civil War are not mentioned at all in the book.

Conclusion

On the whole, I think the concept here is very cute. The narrative is often playful and silly and includes nearly fantastical elements, such as Mo dressing up as a human so he can get into places where animals aren’t allowed. I think young readers would get a big kick out of the main characters, even if they aren’t familiar with the geographical hints placed throughout. The episodic chapters make it easy to read the book in chunks– a must since the whole thing is almost 500 pages.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 6 to 10.

Representation
Mo and Finchy meet an armadillo who speaks Spanish. Some images show Indigenous people in what are supposed to be ceremonial clothes. They also meet a service dog who helps a blind man.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mo develops a crush on another dog named Maggie.

Spiritual Content
Mo and Finchy briefly meet the Iroquois god of wind, Gaol. They also encounter beings called the Voices, which come from the moon and travel the galaxy, a family of Sasquatch, and a Lochness monster.

Violent Content
Mo and some other animals intervene when two girls bully another girl.

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 ADVENTURES OF MO in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Mermaids Never Drown edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker

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

Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For
Edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker
Feiwel & Friends
Published September 26, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Mermaids Never Drown

14 Young Adult short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors make a splash in Mermaids Never Drown – the second collectionin theUntold Legends series edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker – exploring mermaids like we’ve never seen them before!

A Vietnamese mermaid caught between two worlds. A siren who falls for Poseidon’s son. A boy secretly pining for the merboy who saved him years ago. A storm that brings humans and mermaids together. Generations of family secrets and pain.

Find all these stories and more in this gripping new collection that will reel you in from the very first page! Welcome to an ocean of hurt, fear, confusion, rage, hope, humor, discovery, and love in its many forms.

Edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Mermaids Never Drown features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.

My Review

There’s a pretty large range of stories in this collection, some exploring romance and others the power of family. Some also explore the way they merfolk could be treated as other and denied basic rights. I enjoyed the range of topics and interpretations probably as much as any single story. I’ve written brief reactions to each story, but I’ll group them under topic, so they’re not in the order they appear in the book.

Nature

Storm Song by Rebecca Coffinder – I think this one is my favorite. It’s in second person point of view (speaking directly to the reader), which is unusual. It really worked in this piece, though. I loved the intensity and the high-action feel of the story.

Return to the Sea by Kalynn Bayron – This one is the most anchored in the present world where, instead of discussing allyship in the context of race or gender/sexual identity, it’s discussed in terms of environmental impact. The story also draws attention to the way that what we want for animals sometimes diverges from what’s good for them.

The Merrow by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker – A tenuous friendship between a girl and the mermaid kept in captivity at the aquarium where her mother works. I loved the otherworldliness and humanity of the merrow and the sweetness of her relationship with Josie.

Romance

We’ll Always Have June by Julian Winters – A sweet summer romance. The innocence and sweetness of this one perfectly offset the ferocity of some of the other stories. I’ve loved everything by Julian Winters that I’ve read, so this was bound to be a hit for me.

The Dark Calls by Preeti Chhibber – This one takes place completely underwater, and I loved the way the characters challenged divisions beneath the sea. This fully captured the curiosity and precociousness that I think of as central to the Little Mermaid stories I grew up with.

The Nightingale’s Lament by Kerri Maniscalco – Definitely more of a classic sexy-siren vibe in this one. I liked that the story wasn’t headed where I expected.

The First and Last Kiss by Julie Murphy – Twins as rivals. Merpeople who spend a year walking the land for two nights a month. Romance. This one has so much to love.

Shark Week by Maggie Tokuda-Hall – I thought this was so clever. And again, a story that went places I didn’t expect. There’s one reference to something in the story that made me pretty queasy, but the story moves past that moment pretty quickly.

Family

The Story of a Knife by Gretchen Schreiber – Oh, man. I loved the way this one took the original story of the Little Mermaid, changed it up a little bit, and added a distant epilogue. Really enjoyed it.

The Deepwater Vandal by Darcie Little Badger – This one might be my second favorite in the collection. I loved that it focuses on family relationships. This full and compelling story left no room for romance, and I didn’t miss it.

Sea Wolf in Prince’s Clothing by Adriana Herrera – This is another one that explores some social/political themes about consent and autonomy and racism in the context of humans and mermaids. I liked the tension and the characters in this one.

Nor’Easter by Katherine Locke – I feel like I should not have been surprised that this author chose a historical setting for their short story, but somehow I still was. But I was also delighted. I loved the way the story is anchored in a real moment in history but creates room for merpeople and a celebration of family.

Jinju’s Pearls by Jun Hur – This one blew me away. It perfectly captures the longing for a different life that I think of as classic to the Little Mermaid and what the terrible cost of such a life would be.

Six Thousand Miles by Julie C. Dao – This reminded me a little bit of the author’s note from THE MAGIC FISH, in which Trung Le Nguyen talks about how the story of the Little Mermaid has always resonated with him as an immigrant story. This captured that idea perfectly. I loved that the main character didn’t accept easy answers and had to figure out how to forge her own path forward.

Conclusion

This makes a well-rounded collection of stories exploring love, independence, family bonds, and human rights. I really enjoyed reading this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
14 stories with diverse casts of characters, including LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Latine characters. One character’s parent is an abortion doctor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two boys. Brief nudity, sometimes used sexually and sometimes just referenced as part of changing from human to mermaid/merman. One story includes graphic sexual references to sex and the desire for sex.

Spiritual Content
Vague references to prayer. In one story, sirens use their songs to cause human death in order to appease the gods. One Indigenous character briefly prays to the Creator. In another story, the son of a sea god battles a siren.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to mermaids or similar characters killing humans. One character craves a particular kind of blood during her monthly cycle. The story doesn’t show her interacting with it and refers to it as a “creepy” desire.

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 MERMAIDS NEVER DROWN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Wishes Are Free by Diana Mercedes Howell

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Wishes Are Free
Diana Mercedes Howell
Published September 15, 2022

Amazon | Goodreads

About Wishes Are Free

Friends are everywhere if you have a big heart and know where to look.

California, 1959. Spunky ten-year-old Rose O’Reilly feels abandoned when her best friend from birth moves two thousand miles away. Determined to find a new best friend, she turns to Grandpa, whose wife – his own best friend – has recently died. They hold chat cafes in the kitchen on Sundays and with Grandpa’s help, Rose discovers friends can be found in unexpected places, from a lost dog to a boy with cerebral palsy.

But there is still an achy hole in her heart. She asks Venus, the Evening Star, for a new best friend, for Grandpa to come to live with them, and for a dog of her own. She has nothing to lose because wishes are free.

My Review

Rose is a precocious ten-year-old navigating a new school year without her best friend. Adrift and unsure, she looks to her grandfather for advice and a listening ear. I liked that the story doesn’t revolve around her grandfather’s advice. He doesn’t solve any problems for her; he really just offers her more ideas to think about or a new way to look at something. It’s up to Rose what she does with his counsel.

I also enjoyed the relationship between Rose and her brother, Jeremy. They bicker but share some tender moments, too. Rose also explores a new friendship with Anthony, a boy with Cerebral Palsy who owns a dog she likes. I wish Anthony had been included in scenes other than those in his house. Restricting Rose’s time with him to his own house made it seem like he was shut in or unwelcome in
other parts of her life.

In a couple of scenes, Rose confronts a neighborhood bully, and some of the language used to describe him is a little bit off-putting. He seems to be the only plus-sized character in the book and is always shown eating something as well as being mean to her. It came off as a negative stereotype to me, though
it was probably unconsciously done.

In one part, Rose gets in trouble at school, and her dad feels really disappointed. Her grandfather points out that her dad may feel the pressure of old stereotypes as an Irish man. Not long ago, the Irish faced discrimination and negative stereotypes. That understanding carries forward in the way Rose’s family empathizes with other immigrant workers in their community and values and appreciates them.

On the whole, I thought this was a sweet historical novel about friendship, family, and childhood discovery.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Rose’s friend has Cerebral Palsy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Rose catches a boy and girl kissing in a movie theater.

Spiritual Content
Rose begins making wishes on Venus, the Evening Star. Rose attends a Catholic school. A boy makes a joke that if frogs got married, they couldn’t get divorced if they were Catholic.

Violent Content
Rose worries about a classmate whose father is rumored to have beaten him and his family.

Drug Content
Adults drink beer at a party.

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 WISHES ARE FREE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake

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Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1)
Kendare Blake
Quill Tree Books
Published September 19, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Champion of Fate

Behind every great hero is an Aristene.

Aristene are mythical female warriors, part of a legendary order. Though heroes might be immortalized in stories, it’s the Aristene who guide them to victory. They are the Heromakers.

Ever since she was an orphan taken in by the order, Reed has wanted to be an Aristene. Now, as an initiate, just one challenge stands in her way: she must shepherd her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and Reed will take her place beside her sisters. Fail, and she’ll be cast from the only home she’s ever known.

Nothing is going to stop Reed–until she meets her hero. Hestion is fiery and infuriating, but what begins as an alliance becomes more, and as secrets of the order come to light Reed begins to understand what becoming an Aristene may truly cost. Battle looming, she must choose: the order and the life she had planned, or Hestion, and the one she never expected.

My Review

I haven’t read anything by Kendare Blake in a really long time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I loved the concept. It hints at star-crossed lovers and magic and secrets, all things I love in a book.

And, boy, did it deliver those things. I loved the pacing of the romance between Reed and Hestion. I constantly wanted more for them, but loved every minute of their scenes together. The minor characters are amazing, from Reed’s often-absent mentor to her mentor’s lover and former Aristene to Reed’s fellow initiate. I liked that the order was made up of so many different kinds of women and that made for lots of different kinds of relationships between them. That was pretty cool.

The stakes heightened pretty quickly in the second half of the book especially. I felt like I flew through that last quarter with my breath held, wondering how things were going to turn out.

At the end of it all, I find the only thing I’m disappointed about is having to wait until the next book is released to know what happens next!

I think readers who enjoy epic hero stories– maybe things in the vein of Greek myth retellings or stories about paladins or spiritual warriors– will really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Reed has tanned skin. Other characters are described as having darker skin. Two women are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
Reed and the other members of the Aristenes serve the goddess of glory. Other nations serve other gods. A prophet of all gods was recently murdered. One scene shows a man praying at the temple of the prophet. Reed participates in several rituals as part of her initiation into the Aristenes. One involves drinking blood to receive magic. Another involves drinking water from a well that reveals her path.

Violent Content
Lots of battle scenes and descriptions of battle. A man holds onto the decomposing head of a corpse, using it as a weapon.

Drug Content
Several scenes show celebratory drinking. A few characters get drunk and say or do things they regret later.

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 CHAMPION OF FATE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

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The Forest Grimm
Kathryn Purdie
Wednesday Books
Published September 19, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Forest Grimm

Where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists…

“Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die.”

The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book – Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes – with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose―to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.

Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel―who is fated never to be with her―have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest―alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales―has a mind of its own.

My Review

One of the things that most intrigued me about this story was the idea of a magical forest filled with twisted versions of well-known fairy tales. I was just talking with someone the other day about how many of the versions we’re most familiar with are very different from the darker original versions. I liked the idea of including references to those darker stories in a new tale.

And that’s one of the elements I enjoyed most about reading this book. I really liked the forest, too. It felt old and dark and filled with deadly magic. The story centers around Clara and her developing relationship with Axel, a plotline that I also followed with interest. I think I would have enjoyed a little bit more focus on Henni’s relationship with Clara. The way the story ends left me hopeful that Henni would be a critical character in a follow-up tale. All I can say to that is, yes, please!

On the whole, I think readers who enjoy reimagined fairy tales or books like THE GREYMIST FAIR by Francesca Zappia will definitely want to give this one a read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Clara describes a back problem as having an S-curve that makes her hips uneven. She wears a special insert in her shoe to help her walk more comfortably.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Clara’s Grandmère uses cards to predict someone’s future. A curse descends on Clara’s town, changing the forest into a dangerous place, isolating the village, and drawing certain villagers into it. In the forest, Clara encounters magic in the form of dark fairytales. She sees a ghost and monsters.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some battle situations between Clara and her allies and residents of the forest.

Drug Content
Hallucinogenic mushrooms cause Clara and her friends to see strange things. (They were tricked into eating them.)

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 FOREST GRIMM in exchange for my honest review.