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Review: The Memory Index by Julian R. Vaca

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The Memory Index by Julian R. Vaca

The Memory Index
Julian R. Vaca
Thomas Nelson
Published

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About The Memory Index

In a world where memories are like currency, dreams can be a complicated business.

In an alternative 1987, a disease ravages human memories. There is no cure, only artificial recall. The lucky ones–the recollectors–need the treatment only once a day.

Freya Izquierdo isn’t lucky. The high school senior is a “degen” who needs artificial recall several times a day. Plagued by blinding half-memories that take her to her knees, she’s desperate to remember everything that will help her investigate her father’s violent death. When her sleuthing almost lands her in jail, a shadowy school dean selects her to attend his Foxtail Academy, where five hundred students will trial a new tech said to make artificial recall obsolete.

She’s the only degen on campus. Why was she chosen? Freya is nothing like the other students, not even her new friends Ollie, Chase, and the alluring Fletcher Cohen. Definitely not at all like the students who start to vanish, one by one. And nothing like the mysterious Dean Mendelsohn, who has a bunker deep in the woods behind the school.

Nothing can prepare Freya and her friends for the truth of what that bunker holds. And what kind of memories she’ll have to access to survive it.

My Review

I loved reading a book set in an alternate version of the 1980s! I thought it was really cool to see something so different and celebrating a really fun decade.

The pacing of the book seemed a little weird to me, though. It seemed like THE MEMORY INDEX was telling one kind of story and then kind of flipped to telling a different kind of story really late in the book. I struggled with the characters’ responses to the change, and the timing of the switch. Like they seemed to kind of roll with it as though there was no other choice, but then they also seemed content with the switch. It confused me.

I liked the relationship between Freya and Fletcher and the way both grow through the story. Another thing I liked is the way Ollie’s and Chase’s characters added humor and fun to the story.

On the whole, I think the story was okay. I liked the characters more than the plot. I wish the pacing had been different so that there was more time to explore how the characters felt as they learned new information. I’d say this one was a solid okay for me. If you love stories set in the 80s and alternate history or weird memory issues, you may love those elements of this book.

Content Notes for The Memory Index

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Freya is Latinx American. Ollie is Filipino American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Society is based on a deeply prejudiced class system determined by a test of how well someone remembers events from their past. A student makes racist comments about Ollie.

Drug Content
Teens drink beer. References to using hallucinogenic drugs.

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 MEMORY INDEX in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill

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The Stars Between Us
Cristin Terrill
Wednesday Books
August 2, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Stars Between Us

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.

The only blight on Vika’s lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika’s past who works for her benefactors. She doesn’t like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will’s heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they’ve been looking for. But Sky isn’t who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.

My Review

I’ve read both of Cristin Terrill’s other books, and I enjoyed them both– her debut more than the second book, but both still good. So, when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I needed to read it. I loved the sci-fi elements of her first book, and the suspense/mystery elements of the second book, and THE STARS BETWEEN US looked to combine them both. Seemed like a sure win to me! Plus, I admit, the description “Dickensian” definitely left me intrigued.

I think my favorite thing about the book is that I felt like Cristin Terrill wasn’t afraid to play around with the usual stereotypes and push them further. We’ve all seen the strong-willed, pushy heroines, and the lovestruck heroes.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Vika is not only pushy and driven. Sometimes she’s straight up unkind. In the moment, she feels sure of her accusations and her words. Later, she often realizes how her words sounded and the ways she may have been wrong.

I loved that Sky was unapologetic about his feelings for Vika. Sometimes he seemed embarrassed or afraid, but he never apologized for loving her, and I loved that. He tried to do what she asked, not assume that he knew more than she did or that he could do something else and she’d understand later. He gave her space. I liked that.

The plot of the story kept me hooked all the way through. I had a list of suspects and really enjoyed the back and forth game of trying to figure out who the saboteur was and why.

All in all, I’d call this my favorite of Cristin Terrill’s books so far. I think fans of STARFLIGHT by Melissa Landers or ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA by Diana Peterfreund will really enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity and pseudo profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Explosions. One boy attacks another.

Drug Content
Alcohol is served at fancy dinners and parties.

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 STARS BETWEEN US in exchange for my honest review.

Review Love Times Infinity by Lane Clark

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Love Times Infinity
Lane Clark
Little, Brown Books
Published July 26, 2022

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About Love Times Infinity

The swoon of Nicola Yoon meets the emotional punch of Elizabeth Acevedo in this breakout debut novel that answers big questions about identity, family, and love.

High school junior Michie is struggling to define who she is for her scholarship essays, her big shot at making it into Brown as a first-generation college student. The prompts would be hard for anyone, but Michie’s been estranged from her mother since she was seven and her concept of family has long felt murky.

Enter new kid and basketball superstar Derek de la Rosa. He is very cute, very talented, and very much has his eye on Michie, no matter how invisible she believes herself to be.

When Michie’s mother unexpectedly reaches out to make amends, and with her scholarship deadlines looming, Michie must choose whether to reopen old wounds or close the door on her past. And as she spends more time with Derek, she’ll have to decide how much of her heart she is willing to share. Because while Michie may not know who she is, she’s starting to realize who she wants to become, if only she can take a chance on Derek, on herself, and on her future.

My Review

LOVE TIMES INFINITY is another one of those books where I feel like the cover copy just does not do it justice. I feel like it really leaves out the emotional depth and deep soul-searching and pain that Michie wrestles with. It implies that her family issues are a simple estrangement when in fact, there’s something much darker and more complex in play.

When I started reading the book, at first, I struggled with Michie’s self-pity. I felt empathy for her because obviously a LOT in her life is a struggle, but I wanted to be like, okay but isn’t there a bright side here somewhere?

As I got to know her, though, her down-on-herself attitude suddenly made so much more sense. It became clear how over and over she self-sabotaged because she couldn’t move past a deep wound. She also holds deep beliefs in some really destructive ideas about herself.

But those ideas, her believing them, all of that made sense from Michie’s point-of-view. As the circumstances of her life and the blooming relationships around her force her to confront those ideas, Michie began to experience a transformation. I LOVED that. So many scenes had me crying because they resonated so deeply: hurt, forgiveness, new self-love. The author captured those moments beautifully and perfectly.

The story also explores some ideas about abortion. Michie has complicated feelings about the issue because she feels like lots of people would have told her mom to abort her. She wonders if her mother wishes she had. Michie’s feelings only grow more confusing when she hears rumors that a girl at school has had an abortion, and she isn’t sure how to feel about it. Michie is pretty careful to try to separate her personal feelings from legal or broad mandate ideas. She also allows readers to explore a complex issue from an interesting perspective.

Content Notes

References to rape without details. Mentions of self-harm and suicide attempt.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Michie is Black. Her best friend JoJo is Persian. Derek is Black and Latino.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to rape. Michie attempted suicide in the past.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol. References to smoking pot.

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 LOVE TIMES INFINITY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Darkening by Sunya Mara

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The Darkening
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published July 5, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Darkening

In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne.

Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up to Vesper’s father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Even arm herself with her father’s book of dangerous experimental magic.

Even infiltrate the prince’s elite squad of soldier-sorcerers.

And even cheat her way into his cold heart.

But when Vesper learns that there’s more to the story of her mother’s death, she’ll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family’s secrets, or follow her mother’s footsteps into the Storm.

My Review

It took me a couple chapters to really get into this book, but once I was in, I was completely hooked. I love Vesper’s character. She feels things so passionately, and she never gives up. Even though she has a complicated relationship with her dad, she still loves him and will do anything to save him.

I also loved the prince and both of his closest warriors. I liked that they didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. They had a lot more depth to them than I anticipated, and I liked the way Vesper built tenuous but deep alliances with them.

Also– the Storm. Filled with magic, strange beasts, fierce winds… the descriptions of it carried me away every time. I love that there’s so much more to it than Vesper initially believes.

In the story, anyone who encounters the Storm and lives bears some kind of “curse”. This can be a physical abnormality, like a disability or something less visible, maybe bearing a kind of magic. I had mixed feelings about a scene early in the book where a whole group of Stormtouched (storm cursed) people get killed because they harbored Vesper and her dad. It did feel a little bit like the only purpose those characters served was to humanize Vesper and make her a more empathetic character and driven for revenge on behalf of her murdered friends.

The story features other characters who are Stormtouched, so that isn’t the only representation of them. I don’t feel like I have the expertise to really speak to whether that early scene had issues. In any case, it left me with mixed feelings.

On the whole, I enjoyed the fast-paced storytelling and the unique approach to magic as well as the deepening layers of history revealed as the story progresses. I loved the cast of characters, and I really want to see where the story goes next.

Content Notes for The Darkening

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are described as having brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The Regia rules by carrying the spirit of a Great King from the past. Trained warriors use ikons, symbols they inscribe to create a kind of magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. In two scenes characters fight opponents to the death in an arena.

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 DARKENING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

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

Beating Heart Baby
Lio Min
Flatiron Books
Published July 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Beating Heart Baby

Lio Min’s Beating Heart Baby is an “achingly romantic” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) love letter to internet friendships, anime, and indie rock.

When artistic and sensitive Santi arrives at his new high school, everyone in the wildly talented marching band welcomes him with open arms. Everyone except for the prickly, proud musical prodigy Suwa, who doesn’t think Santi has what it takes to be in the band.

But Santi and Suwa share painful pasts, and when they open up to each other, a tentative friendship begins. And soon, that friendship turns into something more. . . .

Will their fresh start rip at the seams as Suwa seeks out a solo spotlight, and both boys come to terms with what it’ll take, and what they’ll have to let go, to realize their dreams?

My Review

I had to read the first chapter of this book twice because the first time, I felt like I didn’t understand what was going on. There are some music references and names that weren’t immediately familiar to me, so I wasn’t sure at first if they were characters or pop culture references. I ended up having to put the book aside for a couple of days for other reasons, but when I picked it up, I started reading again from the beginning. The second time through, I felt like I found my feet with the opening scene, and from there, I was hooked.

Both Santi and Suwa share their points of view in the story, but instead of alternating back and forth chapter by chapter, the first half of the book is Santi only. The second half is Suwa only. I don’t know if I’ve seen that done before, but I found that for this particular story, I really liked it.

I loved all the scenes of the marching band and how they learned to work together. And what becoming part of their team meant to Santi. I also loved the development of his relationship with Suwa and the way they got to know each other and grew together.

I also loved the performance and band scenes told from Suwa’s perspective. I felt like the story really captured the magic of performing and being part of a band without letting it get repetitive or distancing us from the characters.

On the whole, I’m incredibly glad I read this book. I think music fans, band nerds, and romance lovers will find a lot to love in BEATING HEART BABY. I think fans of Bill Konigsberg will enjoy it a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Suwa is trans and Asian. Santi is gay and Filipino on his mom’s side. There are other LGBTQIA side characters as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. A couple scenes show undressing leading up to sex.

A powerful music executive comes on to Suwa, and he feels cornered and super creeped out. One person defends Suwa, but others kind of shrug it off, like that’s just the industry. Suwa’s boss does promise to keep him away from the creep though.

Spiritual Content
Santi wears a cross necklace and touches it or crosses himself sometimes. Some references to prayer.

Violent Content
Santi gets into a fight with another boy. References to his past trouble with fighting.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol and smoke pot and cigarettes.

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 BEATING HEART BABY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor

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Long Story Short
Serena Kaylor
Wednesday Books
Published July 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Long Story Short

Growing up homeschooled in Berkeley, California, Beatrice Quinn is a statistical genius who has dreamed her whole life of discovering new mathematical challenges at a school like Oxford University. She always thought the hardest part would be getting in, not convincing her parents to let her go. But while math has always made sense to Beatrice, making friends is a problem she hasn’t been able to solve, so her parents are worried about sending her halfway across the world. The compromise: the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy and a detailed list of teenage milestones to check off. She has six weeks to show her parents she can pull off the role of “normal” teenager and won’t spend the rest of her life hiding in a library.

Unfortunately, hearts and hormones don’t follow any rules, and there is no equation for teenage interactions. When she’s adopted by a group of eclectic theater kids, and immediately makes an enemy of the popular—and, annoyingly gorgeous—British son of the camp founders, she realizes that relationships are trickier than calculus. With her future on the line, this girl genius stumbles through illicit parties, double dog dares, and more than your fair share of Shakespeare. But before the final curtain falls, will Beatrice realize that there’s more to life than she can find in the pages of a book?

In this sparkling debut from Serena Kaylor, Long Story Short is a YA rom-com about a homeschooled math genius who finds herself out of her element at a theater summer camp and learns that life—and love—can’t be lived by the (text)book.

My Review

Witty banter is my favorite reasons to fall in love with a book, and LONG STORY SHORT has it in droves. I really enjoyed the back and forth between Beatrice, Mia, and Nolan. Also, I loved the verbal combat between Beatrice and Nik. I found it easy to invest in the characters and want them to succeed.

My only criticism is that I felt like Mia and Nolan were kind of too perfect as friends. Beatrice’s awkward inability to connect and her difficulty developing friendships got squished into an almost unbelievably short timeline. I get that the plot needed that, and I wanted to invest in the relationships, so I did. But I couldn’t help asking myself why her parents were so worried? All she seemed to need were two people who were simply willing to give her a chance.

I really liked that she had to go to a Shakespeare camp. The way those stories and quotes were used in the book added a lot of depth. Also, I enjoyed the quote match between her and Nik. I loved the way they used those quotes to trip each other up and as a whole other conversation, too.

On the whole, despite the super quick bestie plot armor, I really enjoyed reading LONG STORY SHORT. I think fans of KATE IN WAITING by Becky Albertalli will really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nikhil is English and Indian. Beatrice’s best friend Mia is Black and bisexual, and another friend, Nolan, is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Reference to Beatrice’s parents being sexual therapists.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A girl bullies another girl.

Drug Content
Bea and other teens drink alcohol 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 LONG STORY SHORT in exchange for my honest review.