Tag Archives: grief

Review: Dark Testament: Blackout Poems by Crystal Simone Smith

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Dark Testament by Crystal Simone Smith

Dark Testament: Blackout Poems
Crystal Simone Smith
Henry Holt & Co/MacMillan
Published January 3, 2023

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About Dark Testament: Blackout Poems

In this extraordinary collection, the award-winning poet Crystal Simone Smith gives voice to the mournful dead, their lives unjustly lost to violence, and to the grieving chorus of protestors in today’s Black Lives Matter movement, in search of resilience and hope.

With poems found within the text of George Saunders’s LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, Crystal Simone Smith embarks on an uncompromising exploration of collective mourning and crafts a masterwork that resonates far beyond the page. These poems are visually stark, a gathering of gripping verses … Continue reading →

Review: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

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All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

All My Rage
Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill
Published March 1, 2022

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About All My Rage

Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with … Continue reading →

Review: The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Klassner

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The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Kassner

The Plentiful Darkness
Heather Klassner
Henry Holt & Co.
Published August 3, 2021

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About The Plentiful Darkness

In Heather Kassner’s spine-chilling fantasy novel, reminiscent of Serafina and the Black Cloak, an orphaned girl chases a thieving boy into a magician’s land of starless, moonless gloom where other children have gone missing before her.

Though the darkness is indeed plentiful, this book gleams with an eerie magic, its characters burning bright and fierce. A visual treat of a tale. –Stefan Bachmann, international bestselling author of Cinders and Sparrows

In order to survive on her own, twelve-year-old Rooney de Barra collects precious moonlight, which she draws from the evening … Continue reading →

Review: Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher

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Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher

Ironhand (Stoneheart #2)
Charlie Fletcher
Hodder Children’s Books
Published October 1, 2007

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About Ironhand

Now that George Chapman has upset the fragile truce between the warring statues of London, he has been drawn into a war that will test his mettle. He and Edie, a glint who can see the past, may have succeeded in their quest to find the Stoneheart, but their journey is far from over.

Edie and the Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, have been captured by the Walker, and it’s up to George to save them. But first he must deal with the three strange veins, … Continue reading →

Review: A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

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A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

A Thousand Heartbeats
Kiera Cass
HarperTeen
Published November 29, 2022

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About A Thousand Heartbeats

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.”

Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.

Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that … Continue reading →

Review: Looking for True by Tricia Springstubb

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Looking for True by Tricia Springstubb

Looking for True
Tricia Springstubb
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published November 1, 2022

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About Looking for True

When two unlikely friends bond over shared compassion for a bereft but lovable dog, they learn what it truly means to find a sense of belonging and identity.

11-year-olds Gladys and Jude live in the same small, rust belt town, and go to the same school, but they are definitely not friends. Gladys is a tiny, eccentric, walking dictionary who doesn’t hesitate to express herself, while Jude likes to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. But they both agree that a new dog in the neighborhood is being mistreated by … Continue reading →