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Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle #1)
Tracy Deonn
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 15, 2020

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About Legendborn

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so-called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

My Review

This series has been on my reading list for a long time, but I finally made the time to read Legendborn this year. I’d heard great things about it, so I was excited to get straight into the story.

Right away, I loved Bree. She’s still processing her mom’s sudden death, which happened right before the story began. All the way through the story, she’s driven by this yearning to connect to her mom, to understand what happened, and why. I found that intensely relatable.

The magical world that she infiltrates is deeply ritualistic and tradition-centric, and very white, as you might expect from something based on King Arthur and his knights. I loved the way that Tracy Deonn unapologetically relates Bree’s experience as a Black girl in those spaces. Connecting that history down through the American colonies and the Confederacy, all the way to Bree’s present, gave the story a rich, sometimes painful, context.

I also love the character arcs between Bree, Nick, and Selwyn. I think I know where the story is headed, and I love that the shifts in the relationships feel natural and experiential. I’m so eager to read more of this series. All the praise I’ve heard has been well-deserved.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Several different branches of magical ability exist and are conducted in different ways. One group borrows power from ancestors, repaying it with their own energy or sacrifices. Another group steals power from elsewhere, accruing a debt that will someday come due.

A line of magic wielders descended from King Arthur and his knights continues to use magic to fight demons who slip through gates from other worlds.

Violent Content
Brief racist statements and microaggressions. References to a car accident that killed Bree’s mom. (Happens off scene.) Situations of peril. Battles against creatures called demons made of dark magic from another world. References to assault (not shown on scene).

Brief battle scenes with injuries.

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol at formal social gatherings.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood by Robert Beatty

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

Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood
Robert Beatty
Disney Hyperion
Published October 8, 2024

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About Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood

Sylvia Doe doesn’t know where she was born or the people she came from. She doesn’t even know her real last name. Sylvia has lived at the Highground Home for Children in the mountains of North Carolina for as long as she can remember. Whenever the administrators place her with a foster family in the city, she runs away, back to her horse Kitty Hawk—her best friend—and the other horses in the herd, the only place she feels like she belongs.

When Hurricane Jessamine causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia must rescue her beloved horses. But she begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don’t belong — everything’s out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water. As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from. And why does she feel such a strong connection to this mysterious boy?

SYLVIA DOE has earned the prestigious STARRED REVIEW from both Kirkus Reviews and Publisher’s Weekly. The award-winning author Kwame Alexander praised the story, saying “Magical realism at its best!”

My Review

This book came out right around the time when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina with rain and flooding. It took me a while to circle back to read the story, but I’d heard so many amazing things about it that I didn’t want to miss it.

Robert Beatty has an incredible ability to write about difficult or intense things in what feels like this very gentle way. Sylvia Doe and the 100-year Flood has some high-energy scenes in which the characters face situations of peril as they’re swept away by floodwater or desperately searching for storm survivors. Yet the tone of the story remains gentle. I love that.

The story includes a little bit of romance between Sylvia and another character. It stays very sweet, with some blushing and attraction. I think there’s a scene where the two snuggle together and another where they kiss each other. I like that their feelings for one another don’t overtake the story and that the disaster situations remain the focus despite their shifting emotions.

Sylvia has been in foster care since she was found alone in the wilderness. She recognizes that the foster care system, and in particular, her social worker, is trying to do good things. The story doesn’t demonize the system or highlight its many challenges or places it can cause harm. But it does present a story in which the system, even as it functions the way it should, isn’t a good fit for Sylvia as a child. She needs something the foster care system can’t provide for her.

The strong connections Sylvia feels to animals, especially horses and birds, will make this one a great fit for animal-loving readers. The magical realism elements add an otherworldly feel that makes Sylvia Doe and the 100-year Flood appealing to readers looking for something beyond the reality in which we live.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Sylvia has light brown skin tones. She has grown up in foster care.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some unseen force has pulled animals and other things from other times and places into a flooded North Carolina river.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Reference to flash flooding and hurricane damage. Sylvia spots a group of dead sandhill cranes, apparently killed in the hurricane. Three children die (off-scene) due to the hurricane and flood conditions.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooley Peterson

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

Dead Girls Talking
Megan Cooley Peterson
Holiday House
Published June 18, 2024

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About Dead Girls Talking

The town of Wolf Ridge calls him The Smiley Face Killer. Bettina Holland calls him her father.

Everyone knows Bettina’s father was the one who murdered her mother a decade ago. It’s the subject of podcasts, murder tours, and even a highly anticipated docuseries. But after growing up grappling with what that means, a string of copycat murders forces Bett to answer a harder What if he didn’t?

Old-money Bett must team up with the only person willing to investigate alongside bookish goth girl Eugenia, the mortician’s daughter, who everyone says puts the makeup on corpses. Can this “true crime princess” unmask a murderer who’s much closer to home than she ever imagined?

Gritty, gripping, and propulsive from page one, Dead Girls Talking is a ride for readers who love to see girls get their hands dirty as they claw their way to the truth. Peterson’s knife-sharp thriller cuts deep, with a wicked sense of humor, a wire-taut atmosphere, and a deadly serious approach to bigger transparency, justice, and female anger.

My Review

I think I expected something more like “The Agathas” series by Liz Lawson and Kathleen Glasgow, which I love, and this is more like Daughter by Kate McLaughlin, which didn’t resonate with me.

My favorite part of the book is definitely the friendship between Bett and Eugenia. In fact, Eugenia is hands down the best part of the story. She’s smart and thoughtful; when she goes all in, she’s one hundred percent all in. She doesn’t hesitate to call Bettina out when she needs it and doesn’t back down from a fight if someone she cares about is in trouble.

Bett is complicated, which is great. I can see the draw of a story about a possible serial killer’s daughter, whose mom was murdered. I think I’ve read too many stories like this. It didn’t feel like this one added anything new to that kind of character, and I hoped for a new spin or perspective. In fact, the overall plot is similar to a different novel that I read a few years ago. So, again, it might be that I’ve just read too many similar books.

I think readers who enjoy a dark thriller with murder victims around lots of corners will find some great things here. The investigatory team of Bett and Eugenia keeps things lively. As the body count increases, Bett begins to feel like the murderer is targeting her specifically. That adds some tension and means they have to stop this person and fast.

All in all, readers looking for a murder mystery, serial killer thriller will get exactly that with a dynamic duo of girls at the helm of the investigation.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The main character is white with a parent incarcerated for killing her mother. The boy she’s attracted to is Latine.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A large handful of F-bombs and other swear words used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. One scene briefly shows a boy and girl having sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A girl finds more than one murder victim. Multiple scenes show someone punching another person. A few scenes show domestic violence. One scene shows a person trying to strangle another person whose hands are bound. Murder victims have been stabbed multiple times and have cuts on their faces. In one scene, two boys appear ready to assault a girl.

Drug Content
The main character and other teens drink beer at parties. The main character and others get very drunk. Some teens smoke pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Serafina and the Black Cloak: The Graphic Novel by Robert Beatty adapted by Michael Moreci and art by Braeden Sherrell

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Serafina and the Black Cloak: The Graphic Novel
Robert Beatty
Adapted by Michael Moreci
Art by Braeden Sherrell
Disney Hyperion
Published April 4, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Serafina and the Black Cloak: The Graphic Novel

Robert Beatty’s best-selling gothic fantasy about an unforgettable heroine is now a mesmerizing graphic novel with rich, atmospheric illustrations.

“The story drips with suspense, wrapping readers into the narrative just as easily as the man in the black cloak binds his young victims.” — School Library Journal

“ Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.”

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of Biltmore Estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity…before all of the children vanish one by one.

Readers who enjoy history and mystery and like their thrills and chills in visual form will delight in this graphic novel adaptation of a bestseller.

My Review

SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK has been on my reading list for a long time, but I had never read it before. When I saw the release of the story as a graphic novel, I realized it was the perfect way to immerse myself in the book.

My favorite part of the story is actually Serafina’s relationship with her pa. He protects her, but also gives her some autonomy (he gives her a job as Chief Rat Catcher for the estate). The panels show how much they love each other and the closeness of their family bond.

I also liked the relationship between Serafina and the boy she befriends. I like the way they work together and look out for each other.

While I’ve never been to the Biltmore, I spent a lot of summers in the nearby areas, so I found it really easy to think of the story as set in those kinds of woods. It was cool reading a story set in that part of the country.

Overall, I’m glad I read this one. I thought the illustrations brought a lot of heart to the scenes and really showed the connections between the characters. I’m not sure if there are plans to release the whole Serafina series as graphic novels, but I’d definitely continue reading them if so. I think readers who enjoyed TIDESONG or WINGBEARER will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Human characters appear white and mostly upper class. Serafina learns she may not be fully human.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A man appears to absorb children into his black cloak.

Violent Content
Serafina witnesses a girl being kidnapped by a man in a black cloak. A mountain lion attacks Serafina, protecting her cubs. Serafina battles human and magical enemies.

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 SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo

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

Cattywampus
Ash Van Otterloo
Scholastic
Published August 4, 2020

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About Cattywampus

The magical story of a hex that goes haywire, and the power of friendship to set things right!

In the town of Howler’s Hollow, conjuring magic is strictly off-limits. Only nothing makes Delpha McGill’s skin crawl more than rules. So when she finds her family’s secret book of hexes, she’s itching to use it to banish her mama’s money troubles. She just has to keep it quiet as the grave — not exactly Delpha’s specialty.

Trouble is, Katybird Hearn is hankering to get her hands on the spell book, too. The daughter of a rival witching family, Katy has reasons of her own for wanting to learn forbidden magic, and she’s not going to let an age-old feud or Delpha’s contrary ways stop her. But their quarrel accidentally unleashes a hex so heinous it resurrects a cemetery full of angry Hearn and McGill ancestors bent on total destruction. If Delpha and Katy want to reverse the spell in time to save everyone in the Hollow from rampaging zombies, they’ll need to mend fences and work together.

My Review

I started reading this book because Natalie at Literary Rambles mentioned it as one of her favorites from 2020, so it’s been on my reading list since then! When Barnes & Noble had their 25% off pre-order sale, I picked up a paperback copy of CATTYWAMPUS, and I’ve finally been able to read it.

It took me a couple tries to get into the story. I can’t figure out why. I really enjoyed what I was reading– the southern expressions and deep North Carolina vibe are things that generally excite me about a story. I loved both Katybird and Delpha. I think Katy became my favorite by the end of the book, though. Her struggle to accept her magic and overcome her fears was super moving.

Tyler was also a favorite for me. He’s this sweet, sort of nerdy boy with two moms who kind of winds up right in the middle of Delpha and Katy’s mess and winds up helping them in some unexpected ways. I loved that and the stuff about his uncle and the way that Delpha connected with him.

Once I got to the part with the zombies, I was pretty hooked on this book. I loved all the chaos in the midst of the small town, spring festival setting. There are great characters and so many quirky, fun moments in this book. It’s also got tons of heart as both main characters have to face some fears and hurts and learn to form new relationships with people.

I think readers who enjoy southern fiction plus magic would definitely love this one. If you liked A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd, try CATTYWAMPUS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Katybird has angroden insensitivity syndrome, meaning she has one X and one Y chromosome, but her body is resistant to male hormones, so she has physical traits of a female and identifies as female.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters have the ability to do magic. There are also werewolf-type characters called Snarly Yows and some zombies bent on destroying anyone in the families they’re feuding with.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some brief descriptions of decaying bodies attacking people and turning them to stone.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Daughter by Kate McLaughlin

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

Daughter
Kate McLaughlin
Wednesday Books
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s DAUGHTER is a novel about trying right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with.

My Review

The thing that appealed to me about this book is its core conflict: a girl discovers her dad is a serial killer, and she may be the only person who can get the names of some of his victims and therefore bring peace and closure to their families.

One of the things I liked is that the story explores what members of the public felt about Scarlet and her mom, and how difficult that was for them. People speculated whether her mom knew or was involved in Scarlet’s dad’s crimes. They judged her and sometimes treated her as an object of fascination for her closeness to a famous killer.

I also thought the character of Scarlet’s dad was complex and seemed on point with the little bit that I’ve seen or know about killers like Ted Bundy or Aileen Wuornos.

There are a couple things I deeply struggled with in reading this book, though.

Does the book deliver on its promise to honor murder victims?

First, while I really admire that the author approached the story wanting to bring attention to the girls not strictly as victims but as people in their own right. Scarlet herself goes on a journey of trying to figure out how to draw attention to the girls themselves rather than glorifying or focusing on their deaths. It reminded me of some of the things Courtney Summers said about writing her book SADIE.

I’m not sure that I think this book succeeds in that goal, though. There are news clippings that only mention the girls in terms of how they encountered the man who murdered them. Lots of scenes reference a movie made about the killer’s life and trial. There are lots of conversations that center around what he did and why he did it. What he got out of it. How he saw the women he victimized.

I liked the idea of the news clippings being included, but I think it would have supported the author’s goal more if they focused on the girls themselves or maybe were pieces written by their families or maybe things from the girls themselves? I don’t know. It seemed more like the moral of the story was that the girls deserve to be treated differently, but the story itself didn’t really model that because so much of the story is devoted to learning about what Scarlet’s dad did and why.

Why I Reviewed the Book

If you’re familiar with my blog, you might already be surprised to see that I reviewed this book at all. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of SADIE by Courtney Summers or THE ROW by J. R. Johansson. This book really pushed my limits as far as explicit violence and sexual trauma go. I almost never quit a book, but I came very close to quitting this one.

On the whole, I think this book really wasn’t for me. If you like stories that go up close to really dark topics, like serial killers and assault, then you may really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Scarlet’s best friend is Korean American. A couple minor characters are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. A couple of scenes explicitly depicting sex between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – Trigger/Content warning for sexual violence.
Multiple mentions of assault, rape, murder, and necrophilia. Some details of those events.

Drug Content
Multiple scenes show Scarlet and her friends smoking pot and drinking alcohol.

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 DAUGHTER in exchange for my honest review.