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Finch House by Ciera Burch

Review: Finch House by Ciera Burch

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Paranormal, , , , , ,
Finch House by Ciera Burch

Finch House
Ciera Burch
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 5, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Finch House

Encanto meets Coraline in this spooky middle grade story that deals with family ties, fear of change, and generational trauma as it follows a girl who must convince an old, haunted house to release its hold on her and her family.

Eleven-year-old Micah has no interest in moving out of her grandfather’s house. She loves living with Poppop and their shared hobby of driving around rich neighborhoods to find treasures in others’ trash. To avoid packing, Micah goes for a bike ride and ends up at Finch House, the decrepit Victorian that Poppop says is Off Limits. Except when she gets there, it’s all fixed up and there’s a boy named Theo in the front yard. Surely that means Finch House isn’t Off Limits anymore? But when Poppop finds her there, Micah is only met with his disappointment.

By the next day, Poppop is nowhere to be found. After searching everywhere, Micah’s instincts lead her back to Finch House. But once Theo invites her inside, Micah realizes she can’t leave. And that, with its strange whispers and deep-dark shadows, Finch House isn’t just a house…it’s alive.

Can Micah find a way to convince the house to let her go? Or will she be forced to stay in Finch House forever?

My Review

Sometimes it feels like a bit of a gamble to read a debut, but this book sounded so interesting right from the moment I heard about it. I loved the eeriness of it. And the fact that it centers on a girl main character and her family.

Micah’s relationship with her grandfather really drove the story home for me. I love the way they connect to one another. He is her anchor in a lot of ways, and I love that.

I didn’t totally follow how the story resolves. Micah made an agreement that felt a little nebulous to me, even after the story concluded. Despite that, I enjoyed the characters, the eerie strangeness of Finch House, and Micah’s explorations through it.

I think readers who like eerie stories, as opposed to horror or truly scary ones, will like the balance this story strikes.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Micah is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Micah and her friend Theo encounter translucent people they refer to as ghosts.

Violent Content
Micah sees a scene from the past in which a girl falls, and blood pools around her after she lands.

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 FINCH HOUSE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria by Adi Alsaid

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria
Adi Alsaid
Aladdin Books
Published September 5, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria

Phineas and Ferb meets the Despicable Me series in this hilarious and heartwarming middle grade debut from acclaimed author Adi Alsaid about a wannabe hero who lives in a goofily evil kingdom where nefarious schemes abound.

Welcome to Nefaria, where nearly every day the kingdom faces another evil scheme.

Most are harmless, though, so the citizens of Nefaria simply learn to live with the latest hijinks and go on with their lives. This includes Bobert Bougainvillea, who is much more concerned with the fact that he seems to be invisible. From the teachers in his school to his classmates, almost no one notices Bobert, no matter how visible he tries to be. Then everything changes when Bobert follows his classmates to a cursed gumball machine.

Before he knows it, Bobert is sucked into one of Nefaria’s most villainous evil schemes, a plot that has been a long time in the making—too long, in the evil wizard Matt’s opinion. And retreating into invisibility this time won’t do, not when Bobert is the only one with the drive, knowledge, and—if his newfound courage doesn’t fail him—bravery to foil Matt’s plan.

My Review

I’ve read a couple of young adult books by Adi Alsaid, and when I heard about his middle grade debut, I could totally see how his writing style would suit middle grade as well as young adult. He has this incredible sense of when to shift point-of-view and how to piece scenes together to show all the important moments in a story.

THE BRAVEST WARRIOR IN NEFARIA is packed with silliness. Think A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS in a fantasy landscape. The characters’ names are silly, from the main character, Bobert, to the kids he hopes to call his friends, Candelabra, Stanbert, and Jennizabeth. They live in a kingdom in which evil schemes are as common as Mondays and sometimes annoying but harmless.

Before the story truly gets underway, Bobert already has a problem in which he is invisible to the people around him. He mostly winds up following other kids around and staying near them, but not really interacting with them, until one day, he plows right into the back of a group of kids walking toward town. I loved the way the story resolves this particular problem of Bobert’s and the way what he experiences changes how he feels about his invisibility.

On the whole, the absolute refusal to take itself too seriously and the never-ending antics make this book lots of fun. It’s got subtle messaging wrapped in humor, a fabulous combination. I hope Adi Alsaid writes more middle grade– though I thoroughly enjoy his young adult novels, too!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Bobert is described as having an olive skin tone.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Spellbooks teach how to perform or undo spells.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to evil schemes that have caused harm. Kidnapping children. Controlling others (using magic) against their will.

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 BRAVEST WARRIOR IN NEFARIA in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Deephaven
Ethan M. Aldridge
Quill Tree Books
Published September 5, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Deephaven

From Ethan M. Aldridge, bestselling creator of ESTRANGED, comes a gothic middle grade prose novel that follows a nonbinary student who is drawn to their boarding school’s forbidden east wing, where something stalks the shadowy corridors. Perfect for fans of J. A. White and Mary Downing Hahn!

When Guinevere “Nev” Tallow receives an acceptance letter to the exclusive Deephaven Academy, they know it’s the fresh start that they’ve been looking for. But things are strange from the moment they arrive—the house itself seems to breathe, students whisper secrets in dark corridors, and the entire east wing of the academy is locked away for reasons no one wants to explain. And Nev knows something ragged stalks the shadowy corridors, something that sobs quietly and scratches at the walls, waiting to be released. With the help of another first-year student, Nev takes it upon themself to unravel the mysteries hidden in Deephaven’s halls. But will they risk their fresh start to bring the academy’s secret to light?

My Review

Since I’ve read everything I can find that Ethan Aldridge has ever written (including these charming short stories), I knew I would read DEEPHAVEN. I didn’t realize at first that it was a prose novel, so I was a little surprised when I started the first page. But the story of Nev and the strange school they were going to attend pretty quickly drew me in.

Nev, especially, is such a cool character. They are always picking up bits of things– screws, bobbins, stuff like that– which they save and use to create mechanical toys. I loved the descriptions of them working on the toys. The author describes Nev as having a magpie mind, and I loved that.

The story contains black and white illustrations spaced throughout, usually one toward the end of each chapter. I thought the author made really great choices as to which moments of the story to illustrate. It really helped me grasp the characters and reinforced the creepy setting of the boarding school.

The book is under 300 pages, so it’s a pretty quick read. I enjoyed it. I think readers who prefer graphic novels but maybe want to branch out into prose should give this one a try. Definitely, other fans of the author’s work will want to add DEEPHAVEN to their collections.

Content Notes for Deephaven

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Nev is nonbinary. Nev’s best friend is Black. Two minor characters, upper-grade girls, are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Nev hears rumors that ghosts live in the abandoned East Wing of the school. Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Nev discovers what appears to be a monster.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A boy stabs a dangerous creature with a fencing foil. A dangerous creature threatens Nev and their friend.

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 DEEPHAVEN in exchange for my honest review.

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.

Review: I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me
Jamison Shea
Henry Holt & Co.
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me

There will be blood.

ACE OF SPADES meets HOUSE OF HOLLOW in this villain origin story.

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood.

The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom.

But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

From debut author Jamison Shea comes I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME, a slow-burn horror that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

My Review

First, I have to say this author either has some up-close experience in the dance world or definitely did their research. The descriptions of what dancing en pointe does to your toes… YUP. Brought back so many memories. Wowza. Not the horrific element I expected to find here, but pretty real stuff nonetheless! Ha.

I found myself nodding along to a lot of the dance descriptions, like the ways the dancers do things, from breaking in a pair of shoes to techniques used on the dance floor. That’s a lot of stuff to get right, and the author really did that. It very much lines up with my own experience.

I thought Laure’s character was really compelling. I liked the moments she delivered commentary on the ballets the company chose to perform and how they were cast, as well as the expectations about how dancers were to look and act.

In some moments, I felt out of sync with the paranormal/supernatural parts of the plot. I felt like I was missing something. I’m not sure if I didn’t absorb a few critical details or what exactly happened there.

Still, so many parts of the book deeply fascinated me. I especially liked Keturah and Andor and the ways they impacted the story. I loved the complications Andor faced in his love life, too. It was so different and really emphasized the strangeness of the story.

On the whole, I am glad I read the book. I loved getting to be immersed in a ballet world– even one so toxic and tragic as this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The main character is Black and queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Laure and her friends encounter a river of blood and an ancient god who offers them temporary gifts for a price.

Violent Content
Graphic descriptions of dance injuries and injuries resulting from sabotage. Situations of peril. Laure discovers the bodies of two people who appear to have been murdered. One scene includes graphic descriptions of torture. Another includes a battle between two god-powered characters. In a couple of scenes, a character drinks blood from another person.

Drug Content
Laure, seventeen, drinks alcohol with an older dancer.

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 I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Secrets Never Die
Vincent Ralph
Wednesday Books
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Secrets Never Die

We call it the Dark Place. I don’t know who built it or when but, for us, it’s special.

Every year Sam Hall and his friends hold funerals for their secrets in an abandoned hut in the woods that they call the Dark Place. But this year, their secrets are coming back from the dead…to terrorize them.

Sam is a former child star whose career went up in flames – literally. And no one, not even his best friend knows why. His friends each hold a secret pertaining to the night. A secret they would all like buried.

Now someone from the past is blackmailing them with their dangerous secrets. Sam isn’t sure who he can trust, who’s watching him – or how far he’s willing to go to bury the past once and for all.

When you’re alone in the dark, some things won’t stay hidden.

My Review

This isn’t my favorite genre, but I feel like I’m growing to appreciate it more through books like YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE TONIGHT and ONE OF US IS NEXT.

I liked that SECRETS NEVER DIE starts with a close-knit friend group, in which everyone hides a secret. I definitely didn’t predict the direction that some of those secrets took the story. There were a few things that I did successfully predict. They were pretty minor, though, so mostly, that made it satisfying that I was right.

One particular plot bend shifted the focus of the story away from the main characters. I found some of the things that happened at that juncture to be a little less engaging. By that point, though, the stakes of the story were so high, and it seemed like whoever had it out for Sam and his friends was closing in on them.

In one scene, Sam and his girlfriend need to make up after a fight. She sits at her desk reading her favorite book, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. Sam wants to talk to her, but he says she makes him wait until she gets to the end of the chapter she’s reading. I thought that was funny because PERKS only has four chapters in the whole book, and they’re like 40-60 pages. That’s a LONG wait, unless she happened to be near the end of one already.

On the whole, I think the book does a great job in the way the story builds tension. I liked the characters, and I kept finding reasons to sneak another chapter in so I could keep reading.

I think readers who enjoy suspense/thriller stories will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
One minor character is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two boys. Brief reference to who’s had sex and who hasn’t within Sam’s group.

Spiritual Content
Sam and his friends have a yearly ritual in which they each go into a hut to speak their darkest secrets, to release themselves from guilt over their pasts.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. More than one person faces danger from a fire. One character survives a suicide attempt. Characters receive threatening messages and creepy items. Two characters are in a car accident. Someone attacks others with a knife. In one scene, a child appears to be in danger.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a Halloween 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 SECRETS NEVER DIE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

The Infinity Particle
Wendy Xu
Quill Tree Books
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Infinity Particle

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, co-creator of the award-winning Mooncakes, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.

When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human?

As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

My Review

I’ve read both MOONCAKES and TIDESONG, and love the story and illustrations so much. When I saw that Wendy Xu had a new graphic novel coming out this year, I could not wait to get my hands on it.

This book has the same expressive, detailed illustrations that I’ve come to love in Xu’s other books. I love the way she draws characters’ expressions and how she places them on the page. Both these elements really call attention to the relationships between the characters. I found it easy to feel the friendships and romance building as I turned the pages of the story.

I don’t really know anything about the field of AI, and I felt like I could enjoy the book just fine without being familiar with the field. But there were moments when I felt like I might have had a deeper or more resonant experience reading the book if I knew more. It made me want to check out the podcasts the author mentions in her book dedication.

All in all, I devoured this gorgeous graphic novel in one sitting. It’s a beautiful, tender story that deserves to sit on the shelf with Xu’s other works.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are survivors of or experiencing domestic violence. A minor character wears a hijab.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and masculine AI.

Spiritual Content
The story examines questions about the meaning of personhood and humanity.

Violent Content
Scenes show or reference a person in a position of power verbally abusing someone with less power than them.

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 INFINITY PARTICLE in exchange for my honest review.