Tag Archives: grief

Review: No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub

No Time Like Now
Naz Kutub
Bloomsbury YA
Published February 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About No Time Like Now

A teen finds himself in a race against time when he learns he’s given away more years than he has left to live in this thought-provoking speculative romp.

It’s been one year since Hazeem’s father passed away unexpectedly, and one year since Hazeem got his special ability: He can grant any living thing extra time. Since then, he’s been randomly granting people more years to live: his old friend Holly, his study buddy Yamany, his crush Jack. . . . The only problem is, none of them wanted to spend any of that time with Hazeem.

Now, Hazeem spends most of his days with his grandmother. When she experiences a heart attack, Hazeem is quick to use his power to save her–until Time themself appears and tells Hazeem he has accrued a time debt, having given away more life than he has left to live and putting the entire timeline in serious danger of collapse. In order to save the timeline and himself, Hazeem must take back some of the life he has granted other people. Suddenly, Hazeem is on a journey through and against time, but as he confronts the events of the past, he must confront the mistakes he made along the way. Hazeem will come to realize that when it comes to time, quality is more important to quantity–but is it too late to reclaim the life he’s given away so he can really start living?

NO TIME LIKE NOW is a timely twist on A CHRISTMAS CAROL that takes readers on a thought-provoking adventure, asking what matters most in life.

My Review

I really like the concept of this book. I think I imagined something a little bit different based on the cover copy, though. Like, I thought maybe we were going to see him giving away bits of his time here and there before the crisis point. Instead, what happens is that he has given away twenty-two years of his life three times, in three different instances. Early in the book, he tries to do this a fourth time, which puts him in arrears. Now, he has to decide who he will take his life back from so that he doesn’t break the whole universe.

Some parts of the book were cute and unexpected. Hazeem is super close to his pet…. hamster. Yup! You read that right. Haha. He imagines conversations between him and the hamster, which is kind of a sweet way to show us the depth of his loneliness without being too grim.

He is a lonely guy, though. As Time drags him back through his past to help him make his decision about whom to take his life back from, Hazeem walks readers through the disastrous mistakes he’s made that cost him some of the relationships he considers most precious.

Conceptually, I thought this was really cool. Practically, though, I found it hard that none of his friends considered the grief or suffering he’d endured when his dad passed away. There was very little nuance to the friend breakups in two of the cases. The offended party felt offended and, therefore, terminated the friendship. I found myself wishing those relationships had more layers or complexity.

Conceptually, the story is really cool, even if the pacing and some of the characters’ relationships proved a bit challenging to me. There are some sweet scenes between Hazeem and a few people he desperately needs guidance from. There is some exploration of grief and sorrow and what it’s like to get stuck in your grief. Those elements are pretty cool. Plus, again, imaginary hamster conversations. I think fans of Kutub’s debut will like the blend of magic and (time) travel in this novel.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Hazeem and his family are Asian American and Muslim. Diverse minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
Hazeem gifts three people twenty-two years of his life each. A personified version of Time visits him and tells him he must choose someone to take time back from, or the universe will be destroyed.

References to reading the Koran.

Violent Content
Three scenes show someone dying. One falls from a fatal height. Another dies in a car crash. A third dies of an unspecified medical condition, maybe a heart attack. There are also references to Hazeem’s dad’s death.

Drug Content
Hazeem attends a party where kids drink alcohol. He and a friend drink, too.

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 NO TIME LIKE NOW in exchange for an honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: The Dark Fable by Katherine Harbour

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

The Dark Fable
Katherine Harbour
Bloomsbury
Published January 30, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Dark Fable

Magical heists. Deadly secrets. Come along for the ride . . . if you dare. This heart-stopping, seductive fantasy is perfect for fans of Six of Crows.

Evie Wilder is an orphan who has gone through most of her life unnoticed . . . until she’s caught up in a dramatic heist and captures the attention of the Dark Fable. They have chosen her for a she can turn invisible. This skill would make Evie a treasured asset to the legendary group of thieves known for spiriting away obscure and occult artifacts.

Evie cannot resist their allure and is eager to join this newfound family. But she discovers there are more skeletons in the Dark Fable’s past than she could have ever imagined. And these secrets might be the answer to her own tragic past.

No one is who they seem to be and the price of uncovering the Dark Fable’s cryptic history just might be fatal . . .

My Review

I’m starting to realize that I have a real interest in low fantasy, or stories set in the “real world” with additional fantasy elements, in this case, special abilities. THE DARK FABLE is kind of a single point-of-view SIX OF CROWS but set in Los Angeles? There’s a close-knit team led by a dangerous guy who definitely holds back information and has ulterior plans/motives, committing heists of expensive artwork and artifacts. So there’s a similar vibe. The main character is new to the crew, and she’s got her own past trauma, ulterior motives, and cards she keeps close to the vest.

All of that setup really had me interested in this book. I liked some of the characters a lot more than others. Mad, short for Madrigal, was probably my favorite. She winds up being the main character’s closest ally. I liked their friendship and how she looked out for Evie.

I struggled with two things about the book, and unfortunately, they’re both spoilers. I’ll put them below in a spoiler section for anyone who doesn’t want to see them. One element is kind of a trope that just isn’t one I prefer in stories, so that’s very much a personal preference, and I think unless you have tropes you feel very strongly about avoiding that have to do with when information is revealed, this probably wouldn’t bother you.

The other thing was also just weird to me. The characters keep asking themselves and others this question throughout the entire book. It feels like a deeply important question because of the way they consistently come back to it, like how they feel about themselves and what they’re doing hinges on the answer to this question. I didn’t feel like the question was answered satisfactorily, which made it harder for me to really enjoy the last bit of the book because I kept thinking, wait, what?

Conclusion

I liked the blend of Los Angeles and magic elements. I liked the characters. The plot went in some directions that didn’t always work for me, but I think those amount to personal preferences. I think if you enjoyed FOUL LADY FORTUNE by Chloe Gong or GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi, then check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white, I think. One heist team member is Black, and another is Indigenous. One is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The main character has a guide she pictures in her mind. She also has the ability to disappear. Her allies have other abilities, too.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battles between heist teams or mercenaries and heist team members. Evie remembers events surrounding her parents’ murders. Other characters have been murdered or died by suicide– sometimes the truth is unclear.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol. One character creates poisons and other solutions that cause adverse effects on enemies, from stunning them to killing 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 DARK FABLE in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Spoilers for The Dark Fable

Read on if you want spoilers on the two things that I struggled with about this book. Select the text below to see it.

The characters in the heist team keep asking themselves, “What are we?” They each acquired a supernatural ability during a traumatic experience. Is this an evolutionary advance? Do they have magic? Did this come from somewhere? They are really interested in figuring this out. Late in the book, like maybe 80 percent through, Evie asks her mentor this question point-blank. Her mentor responds like, “you haven’t figured it out yet? You’re possessed by demons.”

She’s like, it’s no big deal. You’ve got magic power, so enjoy it? Understandably, the team has a hard time processing this, but they come to accept it pretty quickly. I don’t know. I thought it was really weird. Like, definitely the kind of thing that I would have wanted to know earlier in the book so everyone had more time to explore what it meant and how they felt about it. Plus, demons? Really?

The other thing I had a hard time with is more in the vein of a trope. I’ve seen this in other books, but I had a hard time with it then, too. The main character has a whole set of ulterior motives and plans that the reader isn’t privy to until late in the story. It can make for a shocking reveal; it just feels disingenuous to me to have a character in a close first-person point of view hiding THAT much for THAT long. It’s a me thing. If I didn’t mind that, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more than I did.

Review: Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman and Brian Britigan

Biography, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard
Lesléa Newman
Illustrated by Brian Britigan
Abrams ComicArts
Published September 26, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard

A poignant tribute to the life of Matthew Shepard and his legacy in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, published on the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

On the night of October 6, 1998, in Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Wayne Shepard (1976–1998) was brutally killed solely because he was gay. It was a shocking murder that was nationally covered in the media, and it became a rallying cry for the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by President Barack Obama, expanding the federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

With a foreword by Jason Collins—the first openly gay, active player in the NBA—and written by Lesléa Newman—author of the Stonewall Honor–winning novel-in-verse October A Song for Matthew Shepard, and a friend of the Shepard family—Always Matt is an emotional yet ultimately hopeful look at the progress that’s been made, as well as the work that still continues, in advocating for the dignity and equality of all people. Without shying away from the pain and tragedy of his death, moving, lyrical prose and minimalist line drawings present a celebration of his incredible life.

Twenty-five years after the formation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which dedicates its mission to erasing hate, Matthew’s story still resonates for those who lived through it, and remains a vital piece of LGBTQ+ history for younger generations to learn.

My Review

I don’t have any strong memories from when these events happened, but I know I’d heard about Matthew Shepard before reading this book. Despite not having a personal connection to the tragedy, I found reading this book so deeply moving. Each page drew me into thinking about what Matthew Shepard’s life was like. His childhood. Adolescence. Early adulthood.

When I got to the page that references his death, I felt gut-punched. I felt gut-punched again reading about the hateful protests at the courthouse and the funeral service. Is there anything as destructive as hate? Awful. I loved that people dressed up as angels with giant wings that they used to shield people from those messages of hate and fear.

What’s truly beautiful, though, is the way that Matt’s family and community have rallied together to share a message of peace and kindness. It’s courageous.

This is a brave book. It’s unflinching in its truth-telling, but it centers around celebrating a boy’s life, his dreams, and hopes for the future. In the foreword, Jason Collins shares how Matthew Shepard’s death impacted him personally. The author and illustrator also share their personal connections. There were a few other brief stories about people who’ve been impacted. All were so heartfelt.

This is an incredible tribute to a young man whose life has, without doubt, changed the world. I am honestly in awe, and I’m so grateful that the author reached out and asked me to review this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Includes a foreward by Jason Collins, the first openly gay active NBA player. The story focuses on the life of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The family received comfort in Matt’s ashes being interred at an Episcopal church with a ceremony led by the first openly gay bishop in the church.

Violent Content
One illustration shows Matthew Shepard lying on the ground after being attacked. It isn’t graphic, but I did find the image shocking because it really brings home what happened. The text talks about the murder briefly but spends much more time talking about the impact this senseless death had on the community and world.

There are brief references to homophobic protests held at Matthew Shepard’s funeral and outside the hospital.

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 ALWAYS MATT in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Matthew Shepard Foundation is an organization that works to promote dignity and equality among all people through sharing Matt’s story and his passion for creating a kinder world. You can learn more about the foundation on their website.

Review: Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer

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Destroy the Day (Defy the Night #3)
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Published January 23, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Destroy the Day

Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.

Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.

An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .

Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.

In the thrilling conclusion to the Defy the Night series, Brigid Kemmerer crafts heartrending twists and devastating turns that will keep readers breathless to the very end.

My Review

We’ve finally made it to the last book in another Brigid Kemmerer series! And by finally, I mean we made it. There were only three books, so it’s not like it took a decade, but it felt like one while I was waiting. Haha.

This book picks up pretty much where DEFEND THE DAWN leaves off, so if you remember what was going on, it’ll be easy to dive right back into the world of Kandala and all the political machinations threatening the characters we know and love.

Tessa thinks Corrick is dead, so she’s understandably deep in her grief about that. She does make some new friends and unexpected allies as she tries to figure out a way to get back home, if only so she can tell Harristan what’s happened to his brother.

Corrick also makes some new friends and unexpected allies. He learns to trust others more deeply. His point of view probably has the most banter and silliness, so I enjoyed that quite a bit.

Harristan also has chapters from his viewpoint, so we get to go behind the scenes with the rebels left behind, and watch him figure out how to retake his throne while the consuls cook up ever more ways to keep him from doing so.

Lots of political intrigue. Definitely some battles we’ve been looking forward to. And– some confessions of feelings we’ve been looking forward to, too. This is a pretty big chunk of a book at 522 pages, but I read this in two sittings, and I felt like I needed every chapter in it.

This is one of the few books I’d already preordered for this year, and I’m so glad I did!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
One major character is gay, as is a minor character.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two boys. Some scenes lead into sexual encounters but fade to black after characters undress one another.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone has been poisoning people. Battles between pirates and soldiers or soldiers on opposing sides. References to torture.

Drug Content
Characters (adults) drink alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Summer Queen by Rochelle Hassan

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The Summer Queen (The Buried and the Bound #2)
Rochelle Hassan
Roaring Brook Press
Published January 23, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Summer Queen

This captivating sequel to THE BURIED AND THE BOUND draws readers into the twisted and irresistible world of the Fair Folk—perfect for fans of THE CRUEL PRINCE and THE HAZEL WOOD.

As a new coven, Aziza, Leo, and Tristan faced evil and triumphed. All that’s left is to put their lives back together, a process complicated by the fallout from painful secrets, the emotional and physical scars they now carry, and the mysteries that still haunt them.

But with the approach of the solstice comes the arrival of strange new visitors to Blackthorn: the Summer Court, a nomadic community of Fair Folk from deep in Elphame. They’ve journeyed to the border between the human world and fairyland, far from their usual caravan route, to take back something that belongs to them—something Leo’s not willing to lose.

Refusing to give up without a fight, he makes a risky deal with the Summer Court’s princess and regent. The challenge she proposes sends Coven Blackthorn into the farthest, wildest reaches of Elphame.

But when you play games with the Fair Folk, even winning has a cost.

My Review

I fell in love with Rochelle Hassan’s middle grade debut and devoured THE BURIED AND THE BOUND, so it was never a question as to whether I was going to read THE SUMMER QUEEN. I love the magic-alongside-our-world in this series. The characters are so great! It only took me a couple of days to read this book, and I thought about it so much between my reading sessions. I’ve already gone back and reread some of my favorite passages.

Like the first book in the series, THE SUMMER QUEEN follows the points of view of Aziza, Leo, and Tristan. They’re an interesting trio who joined forces in the first book to defeat a powerful hag who had killed Aziza’s parents. All three characters have super distinct personalities and voices, so I never doubted whose perspective I was reading.

The book is packed with adventure and high stakes. Leo joins the Wild Hunt without really understanding what he’s doing, only knowing if he wins the hunt, he can rescue his sister. Of course, joining means that he, as a human, is taking on a powerful, experienced foe from among the Fair Folk. Pretty intense.

There’s also some star-crossed love happening. Leo has been cursed to forget his true love, and he can’t stop trying to find this person… and can’t tell when he’s standing face to face with them. I couldn’t help hoping that a breakthrough was coming with every new chapter of the book.

All in all, this sequel more than lived up to my expectations. If you like THE LUMINARIES by Susan Dennard or Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series, definitely add this trilogy to your list. (And start with book one, THE BURIED AND THE BOUND.)

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Aziza is Pakistani American. Tristan is gay. Leo has been in a romantic relationship with a boy before.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to sex.

In one scene, Leo discovers that one of the Fairies assaults the servants. He doesn’t witness anything, but overhears a conversation and sees bruises on someone afterward.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. The story contains fairies and magical creatures, such as pookas, nymphs, and others. Two characters are necromancers and have the ability to summon spirits of the dead and control shadow creatures.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
The fairies try to convince Leo and his allies to drink Lily wine (which makes them very vulnerable to suggestion) or fairy food, which can also enchant them in some way. Aziza remembers a night spent celebrating with her friends with vodka and beer.

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 SUMMER QUEEN in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Maybe It’s a Sign by E. L. Shen

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Maybe It’s a Sign
E. L. Shen
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Published January 23, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Maybe It’s a Sign

An uplifting middle-grade novel about loss, luck . . . and deep-dish chocolate chip cookies―perfect for fans of King and the Dragonflies and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.

Seventh-grader Freya June Sun has always believed in the Chinese superstitions spoon-fed to her since birth. Ever since her dad’s death a year ago, she’s become obsessed with them, and believes that her father is sending her messages from beyond. Like how, on her way to an orchestra concert where she’s dreading her viola solo, a pair of lucky red birds appear―a sure indication that Dad wants Freya to stick with the instrument and make him proud.

Then Freya is partnered with Gus Choi, a goofy and super annoying classmate, for a home economics project. To her surprise, as they experiment with recipes and get to know each other, Freya finds that she may love baking more than music. It could be time for a big change in her life, even though her dad hasn’t sent a single sign. But with the help of her family, Gus (who might not be so annoying after all), and two maybe-magical birds, Freya learns that to be her own person, she might just have to make her own luck.

In MAYBE IT’S A SIGN, E. L. Shen cooks up a deliciously voicey, comforting family story sweetened with a dollop of first romance, a dash of whimsy, and heaps of heart.

My Review

There’s something really special about a book that gently invites readers into the landscape of grief. Some of the moments in the book are so heartbreaking. Freya’s longing for her dad, her struggle to make sense of the world without him, and to find signs from him around her to keep him close felt so real.

I loved the way she discovered her unexpected love for food and cooking and how that helped her reframe some of the memories about her family and even forge new connections with family and friends. I also liked that between the lines of the book, it was easy to see Freya’s mom and sister wrestling with their own grief in their own ways. The author really nailed those kinds of moments in the book, where Freya doesn’t pick up on someone else’s feelings, but there are enough clues for the reader to figure it out.

On the whole, I really liked this book. I loved the role of music, food, and family in the book, and the relationships between the characters. I think fans of Gillian McDunn and Kate Messner will love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Freya and her family are Chinese American. Her friend Gus is Korean American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A boy kisses a girl on the cheek. Some references to crushes and dating.

Spiritual Content
Freya’s dad taught her about different Chinese superstitions and luck, like not wearing white in your hair and red or pairs being lucky.

Violent Content
Freya remembers the story of her father’s death. He collapsed at work and died of a heart attack eight months before the story begins. Freya has a panic attack when something triggers her memory of her dad’s death.

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 MAYBE IT’S A SIGN in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.