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Review: A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,
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 was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.

But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

Kiera Cass brings her signature sparkling romance to this beautiful story of star-crossed lovers and long-held secrets.

Geeking Out

It took me by surprise when the publisher offered me a review copy of this book– I was pretty over the moon, honestly.

It’s been a while since I read anything by Kiera Cass, but I’ve recommended her books to some teen readers. I remember good things about The Selection series, though I’ve only read the first three books in the series.

This book struck me as kind of having America/Aspen vibes– it’s a completely different story, nothing like The Selection series, but I guess the princess and soldier romance maybe triggered that thought?

Anyway. This is a LONG book at a little over 550 pages, which I found really intimidating at first. I tend to avoid long books because I try to read so many titles. I probably still would have agreed to review it even if I’d known it was so long. It’s Kiera Cass, y’all. How can I say no?

My Review

Okay, so the book. I liked Annika and found some things about her character really compelling. She’s all about justice and fairness. But there’s definitely kind of a weird self-sacrificial thing about her that kind of… made me sad? I don’t know. Like, I feel like she tended to divide things into two possible outcomes: either she could be happy and everyone else miserable, or everyone else could be happy while she was miserable.

There were definitely some conflicts that split themselves that way where those were legit her only options. But it felt like she tended to view all conflicts that way.

Lennox… That guy took me on a journey. At certain moments, I did not think I could like him. He serves his leader as a kind of enforcer, doing the dirty tasks that no one else wants, but have been decreed to be done. It takes him a long time to realize his own worth and even longer to really decide what to do about it.

I will say that early in the story, we learn that Lennox has done something Annika finds unforgivable. (And I agreed with her.) I wasn’t sure how the story was going to lead us around that fact and build a believable romance. In my opinion, Kiera Cass did a pretty good job at that, though.

Romance aside, I did struggle with some of the other story elements. For example, at one point, a hurricane descends on two battling forces. It’s described as basically a wall of rain approaching with winds so strong they rip trees from the ground. I was like, okay, is this a hurricane or a tornado? Because the thing about a hurricane is that it’s approach weather-wise is more gradual. Winds picking up. Periodic raining. Gaps in between where things slow a little bit. Then, like birth labor, the gaps get shorter and the wind and rain get stronger until the storm reaches its maximum.

Anyway, that’s my experience from the hurricanes I’ve weathered as a native Floridian. So the abrupt arrival of the hurricane kind of took me out of the story a bit. There’s also an earthquake in the middle of the hurricane, which was odd? But okay. The bigger thing was that both armies had arrived at the battle site via ships, and it appeared that the ships were okay after the hurricane forces so strong that trees were ripped from the ground.

In the grand scheme of the plot, those were minor details. But there were things kind of like that at different points throughout the book. Just little things that didn’t make sense.

The romance is absolutely the selling point of the story, so I think readers who pick up this book for a sweet, star-crossed love story will get exactly what they came for. I think fans of Kiera Cass’s earlier novels will enjoy getting carried away in another princess romance.

Content Notes

Content warning for references to torture and physical/emotional abuse.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A boy and girl spend the night together a couple of times. It’s hinted that they just sleep next to one another.

In one scene, a girl strips down to her underwear so she can escape from a prison cell.

Spiritual Content
Annika speaks to a portrait of her mother, keeping a connection to her mother who has been missing for years. Lennox speaks to someone in an unmarked grave.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. References to torture. References to physical and emotional abuse.

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 A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Finally Something Dangerous by Doug Cornett

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , ,

Finally Something Dangerous
Doug Cornett
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published November 22, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Finally, Something Dangerous

The mystery-solving trio, the One and Onlys, from Finally, Something Mysterious is back with another whodunit. Robot crows, a poetry-slash-wrestling Club, and a hamster infestation? This looks like another case to tackle!

As the excitement from the last mystery the One and Onlys solved is starting to dwindle, Shanks, Peephole, and Paul worry that their town is back to being boring old Bellwood. But as plans for a shiny town makeover get underway, they realize that the old Bellwood is anything but.

The glee over New Bellwood is palpable, and it’s hard not to get swept away by the flashy new milkshake joint and other developments that are quickly making their small town unrecognizable. But the One and Onlys can’t deny that something nefarious seems to be afoot–especially if the robot crow they stumbled upon is any indication.

Strange? Yes. Dangerous? Hopefully! Shanks doesn’t know how these things are connected, but she’s determined to find out–with the help of the One and Onlys.

My Review

I had a lot of fun reading the first book in this series, FINALLY SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS, so when I saw that the One and Onlys were back with a new sleuthing adventure, I knew I had to check it out.

FINALLY SOMETHING DANGEROUS is packed with the same goofy humor and absurdity that the first book has. As the team chases down a new mystery, they encounter more odd small town personalities and off-the-wall situations.

I feel like the first book make me literally laugh out loud, and I didn’t get that this time, but I did find myself smiling a lot at the antics and circumstances. This is the perfect mystery book for readers who love the storytelling of mystery but aren’t ready for darker or uncomfortable themes sometimes explored in that genre.

The small town setting is packed with both new and familiar characters. It captures that everybody-knows-everybody vibe for sure.

If you haven’t read the first book, I think you could still read and follow this story without any issues. Readers who enjoyed DOUBLE THE DANGER AND ZERO ZUCCHINI by Betsy Uhrig will not want to miss this one.

Content Notes for Finally, Something Dangerous

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Main characters are white kids.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A couple instances of cartoonish violence in which a character tackles another character who is trying to escape or something equivalent.

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 FINALLY, SOMETHING DANGEROUS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons

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The 9:09 Project
Mark H. Parsons
Delacorte Press
Published November 15, 2022

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About The 9:09 Project

A thoughtful exploration about finding oneself, learning to hope after loss, and recognizing the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others.

It has been two years since his mom’s death, and Jamison, his dad, and his younger sister seem to be coping, but they’ve been dealing with their loss separately and in different ways. When Jamison has to be reminded of his mother’s birthday, on the day of her birthday, he worries that his memory of her is slipping away, and he is forced to reckon with the passing of time. To help make sense of it, he picks up his camera—the Nikon his mother gave him a few years back.

Jamison begins to take photos of ordinary people on the street, at the same time and place each night. As he focuses his lens on the random people who cross his path, Jamison begins to see the world in a deeper way. His endeavor turns into a school project, and then into something more. Along with his new outlook, Jamison forges new and unexpected friendships at school. But more importantly, he’s able to revive the memory of his mother, and to connect with his father and younger sister once again.

My Review

I talk a lot about how much I love sister books, but I’m not sure I talk much about how much grief processing books mean to me, too. There’s something really powerful about a story that peels back the layers and reveals truths about love and loss that we don’t talk about. This book does that so well, and so many of the statements about loss and grief really resonated with me.

So, full disclosure, the ARC that I read opens with a note from the author, so I read that first. Which means before I even read the first line of the book, I was crying. The letter is about how the author was editing this book as he was saying goodbye to his mom, who was dying of the same type of cancer Jamison’s mom died from. I can’t even imagine how incredibly difficult that must have been. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I think one of my favorite things about the story, though, is that though it’s about grief, it doesn’t take the course that I have seen some other YA novels take. Meaning, it doesn’t focus on Jamison’s former friendships and how they’ve changed because of his grief, whose fault it is, or whether they can be repaired.

We don’t really know who his friends were before his mom’s death. He’s so totally disconnected from the Before time of his life that it never comes up. What we do get to see is the fresh growth of new friendships, what those mean to him, and how he learns to trust other people with his grief and share in theirs, too.

A fair amount of the story focuses on Jamison’s photography, which I loved. I especially loved the way that the Dorothea Lange quotes at the beginning of each chapter encapsulated something that happened in that chapter. I loved seeing those connections. Jamison shares some of the technical aspects of editing photos, but context clues were enough for me to follow along. I know the photography side, so that was familiar to me, but I think it’d be easily accessible to someone who didn’t have the knowledge.

I really liked the characters, too. Not just Jamison, but his sister, Assi, and Seth, too. They each bring really interesting elements to the story, and I liked that his relationship with each of them is different.

On the whole, I would call this one a win. I think readers who enjoy books by John Green should really check this one out.

Content Notes for The 9:09 Project

Some racist and sexist statements.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Jamison is white and has synesthesia.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl hints that she would like to have sex with Jamison. A girl suggests that Jamison take nude photos of her. Later she shares nude photos with him. (Pictures are not described in any detail.) A boy and a girl spend the night together. Later it’s mentioned that they had sex.

Spiritual Content
Jamison mentions that he feels his mom’s presence at times.

Violent Content
A group of boys at school create a list where they rank girls according to their looks on a scale of 1 to 10. Jamison and others are pretty grossed out by the whole thing. More than one student confronts them about it. Students refer to a Lebanese American girl as “AK-47”, a covert way of saying they think she’s a terrorist. Several students call this out as offensive as well, but it does happen throughout the story.

Drug Content
Jamison and others drink alcohol at a party. In one scene, Jamison’s father offers him a beer. (Jamison is 17.)

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 9:09 PROJECT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty

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

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar From Elsewhere
Jaclyn Moriarty
Allen & Unwin
Published November 1, 2022

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About The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere

Let me get this straight. I’m on a trip with the following people:
1) Bronte, a girl who makes magical ‘Spellbinding’ rings,
2) Alejandro, a former pirate/current prince who can shoot arrows and make fire from stones,
3) Imogen, who can read broken maps and is a kickboxing master,
4) Esther, who saved her entire world from some kind of ancient monster,
5) Astrid, a smart ten year old who can read minds, and
6) Gruffudd, a surprisingly speedy (and always hungry) Elf.

And who am I? Just a kid who skips school to ride a skateboard.

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is the account of Monday through Friday of last week. That’s when Oscar found himself on a quest to locate nine separate pieces of a key, held by nine separate people, in order to unlock a gluggy silver spell that had trapped the Elven city of Dun-sorey-lo-vay-lo-hey. The quest was an urgent one. Friday at noon, the spell would become permanent, the Elves would be crushed to death and Oscar would be trapped in this magical world forever. (The account, it should be noted, has been written at the request of a small public school’s Deputy Principal. She wants to know exactly what Oscar considered more important than coming to school last week.)

From the award-winning Jaclyn Moriarty comes an enchanting tale of cryptic challenges, breathtaking danger and 360 kick flips.

My Review

Years ago I read A CORNER OF WHITE by Jaclyn Moriarty, and I remember really liking her writing style and the way that her characters have a lot going on inside them. It was also a portal book, so I figured another portal book by Moriarty would be a good idea.

And it was. Just like her other book, I found this one to have a great cast of characters. I enjoyed the banter and layered emotions between them. Though it’s the fourth book in the series, I didn’t have any trouble following what was happening. There are some references to events that happened before this book began, some of them from previous books in the series, but they were explained well enough for me to follow. This adventure features characters from earlier books in the series, but it’s a pretty self-contained adventure.

The only thing I wish had been a little different is that the characters had many conversations or arguments. They were always quippy and fun, so the scenes weren’t boring. I guess after a while, it didn’t feel fresh anymore? Despite that, I still enjoyed the conversations between the characters.

I think readers who enjoy portal books, especially books about magical quests, will find a lot to love in this book. The storytelling is pretty gentle, but there’s a lot of humor and fun.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Oscar is Australian. The other characters are from made up places. At least one is described as having bronze skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Some use it to cause harm, and others use it for protection.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. One battle scene.

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 ASTONISHING CHRONICLES OF OSCAR FROM ELSEWHERE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

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

Friends Like These
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Delacorte Press
Published November 1, 2022

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About Friends Like These

Twisted secrets that will have readers guessing with every flip of the page. Perfect for fans of GONE GIRL, WE WERE LIARS and Karen M. McManus.

An end-of-summer party. A prank gone wrong. A body on the beach. Who’s to blame?

Tegan Sheffield’s annual end-of-summer beach party is the only way to start their senior year. At least that’s what Jake Healy tells his girlfriend Jessica Sanchez.

But when a video prank from the party goes viral and a body is discovered at the beach, Jake and Jessica find themselves at the centre of a national media storm and a police investigation.

It’s a race to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Readers love Jennifer Lynn Alvarez:

‘An emotional rollercoaster!’
‘You won’t be disappointed’
‘Damn this was entertaining’
‘A mystery thriller done to perfection’

My Review

One of the things I discovered reading this book is that I don’t enjoy books where the most significant thing about a character is that they love a boy. I felt like the obsession with Jake was the majority of what both Tegan and Jessica’s characters were about. I would have liked to know more about Tegan’s tense relationship with her mom. Or about anything that isn’t Jake that Jessica loved to do or was interested in.

Jake also spent a lot of time wrestling with his feelings about the girls, but he had a lot more going on, I felt like. He’s recovering from losing his dad, and from his alcoholism. After the night of Tegan’s party, he’s wrestling with the truth that he was assaulted and what that means. So I felt like his character was deeper and more complex than the girls were.

I liked the twisty-ness of the plot, though. A lot of things happened that I didn’t expect, and I liked the way the story made me question information I took for granted without really examining it. I also thought the decision to explore recovery from sexual assault but from a guy’s perspective was an interesting choice.

On the whole, if you’re looking for a twisty, fast-paced story, FRIENDS LIKE THESE could be a great pick for you.

Content Notes

Content warning for domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, and sexual assault.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. One scene shows two teens undressing leading up to having sex.

A seventeen year-old boy and an eighteen year-old girl are caught having sex. Police intend to press charges on the girl. The age of consent in California, where the story takes place, is eighteen, so the girl can be charged with statutory rape.

See spoiler section at the bottom of the post.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to domestic violence (happens off-scene). More than one scene shows or references people fighting. In another scene, a boy slams a girl’s face into a tree accidentally.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol and take drugs 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 FRIENDS LIKE THESE in exchange for my honest review.

SPOILER

Jake learns both him and Tegan were drugged the night they slept together.

Review: Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Adapted by Monique Gray Smith
Zest Books
Published November 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Braiding Sweetgrass

Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things–from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen–provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book BRAIDING SWEETGRASS. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us.

With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS FOR YOUNG ADULTS brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.

My Review

I first heard of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS when a book club that I technically joined but am terrible at participating in read the book for one of its selections. I followed some of the discussion about the book, and I had it on my reading list, but hadn’t managed to read it by the club deadline. So when I saw that there was a YA version coming out, I figured that would actually be perfect to read and review here.

One of my favorite things about the book is how thoughtful it is. The author shares stories and traditions, inviting readers into a greater understanding of the way that North American Indigenous people see the world around us. Instead of thinking of ourselves as the most important or only important creatures, she invites us to think of all of nature as fellow creatures, or kin. I like the inherent respect and the way that changes the connection with the natural world when I think of it like that.

She also shares the idea that we approach nature with gratitude, appreciating her gifts. Asking before we take. Taking only what we need. Using everything we take.

I Like the Book’s Structure

The book is broken into short sections that explore tradition and the science underlying those methods. Do they work? Why? How? I loved the connection between those two things. I think it really resonates with me that spiritual truth and science are hand in hand, not oppositional forces. So I loved that exploration.

She also continually invites readers to think about how we interact with the natural world. In what ways are we connected to nature? How can we connect? Or show gratitude? How can the traditions she shares (and cautions against appropriating) influence how we see and act in nature.

So I feel like she gave me a lot to think about, and a lot to look forward to experimenting with.

I think BRAIDING SWEETGRASS is a great book for anyone interested in conservation or plants or nature. It’s also a welcoming read to any who want to learn more about Indigenous people, their history, and their beliefs.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The author shares her own and other Indigenous tribes’ traditions and stories (with permission). She is herself a member of the Potawatomi tribe.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Includes creation stories, ceremonies, and traditions of Indigenous people.

Violent Content
References to the Trail of Death (forced relocation of tribes which resulted in the deaths of many). References to residential schools and the harm they have done.

Drug Content
Tobacco is sprinkled on the ground as a ceremonial gift.

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 BRAIDING SWEETGRASS FOR YOUNG ADULTS in exchange for my honest review.