Tag Archives: Page Street Kids

Review: A Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,
Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee

Forest of Souls (Shamanborn #1)
Lori M. Lee
Page Street Kids
Published June 23, 2020

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About Forest of Souls

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.

My Review

Is it just me, or are there a LOT of seriously great books coming out this year? I feel like every review, I’m saying something like, “Wow! This was such an amazing book!” But seriously, I’ve read some really amazing books this year! I promise I don’t think every book is amazing. Ha.

FOREST OF SOULS, though… was pretty amazing. I got caught up in the story world (though I wish there had been a map!) and in the layers and layers of intrigue. Also, there are CREEPY TREES. Like, the stuff of nightmares kinds of creepy. I’m usually not into that, and it definitely came right up to the edge of what I’m comfortable reading. But they also kept me turning pages and needing to know what would happen.

The relationships between the characters are great, too. I loved the friendship and understanding between Sirscha and Saengo and the condescending banter between Sirscha and Theyen.

This is a series I can tell I’m going to need to follow. The second book won’t be out until next year, though, so I’ll have to keep myself busy between now and then.

Do you ever wish books were like Netflix series? Where the whole series got published all at once and we could just binge read them all at our own pace?? I realize there are reasons it doesn’t work that way, but it’s a nice fantasy, especially right now.

At any rate, I think readers who enjoyed the SHADOW OF THE FOX series by Julie Kagawa or FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by Julie C. Dao will want FOREST OF SOULS on their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Based on Hmong belief that spirits are responsible for what happens to you. Asian-coded characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
There are three races of humans. Two have magical abilities related to souls. Some can destroy souls or guide them. All require a soul in a familiar to access their magic.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
Lots of battle violence and some scenes showing or referencing physical punishment akin to abuse or torture.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of FOREST OF SOULS in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

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The Henna Wars
Adiba Jaigirdar
Page Street Kids
Published on May 12, 2020

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About The Henna Wars

WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI meets SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA in this rom com about two teen girls with rival henna businesses.

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.

Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

My Review

I think this is my favorite f/f romance that I’ve read so far. I love the relationship between Nishat and her sister Priti. I’m a huge fan of sister books and sister relationships in books, so theirs was an easy win for me. It felt so much like my relationship with my sister in school– that tug-of-war between needing each other and needing to do things on your own or needing to find your own way.

If I struggled with anything (big IF!) it was feeling like Flávia didn’t deserve Nishat. The heart wants what it wants, but sometimes I struggle with a book where someone is in love with someone who just doesn’t seem worthy of them. As the story went on, however, it became clear that there was more to Flávia than I originally gave her credit for, and ultimately, she won me over.

I also loved the evolution of Nishat’s relationships with her parents. It obviously wasn’t an easy journey, and I don’t want to give anything more away. But there were some great moments there for me, too. (My favorite was her mom’s comment about someone being pansexual, but the way she said it sounded like someone who was in romantic love with paan. I definitely laughed out loud at that!)

On the whole, HENNA WARS was exactly the book I needed right when I read it. It’s funny and heartwarming (and at times, heartbreaking) and packed with the high of first love and the strength of a sister bond.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Nishat and her family are Bengali. Flávia is Brazilian and Irish. They all live in Ireland.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Some references to Muslim faith and beliefs.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
Some instances of bullying. Someone sends a hateful text message outing a lesbian. Some property destruction as bullying and references to cruel comments. When other girls find out that one character is a lesbian, they refuse to change in the locker room with her. There aren’t any descriptions of events when anyone directly attacks the bullying victim (which doesn’t make any of the things that happen better or okay, just thinking in terms of triggers).

Drug Content
References to alcohol at a teen party.

Note: I received a free copy of THE HENNA WARS in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

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The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly
Jamie Pacton
Page Street Kids
Published on May 5, 2020

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About The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.

Working as a wench―i.e. waitress―at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

My Review

Oh. My. Gosh. This book! I love so many thing about THIS BOOK. I don’t even know where to start.

First off, the narrator, Kit, has this fantastic voice. She’s funny, awkward, determined and smart and I adored her from page one. Her friends and family members all stood out as distinct characters. I often get side characters mixed up, but I did not have that trouble here because they were all so memorable and different from each other.

You don’t have to read very far into the cover copy to guess that a theme of the story is feminism and gender roles. I was a little worried that that would dominate the story, but actually, I felt like it was integrated really well with the characters and other plot elements.

I also loved that Kit goes a lot broader than simply looking for female rights to work as Knight characters (a higher paying role) at her job. She quickly realizes that others– specifically her transgender and nonbinary friends– are also barred from applying for that position. So I thought it was cool that the story included a wider push for equal rights rather than falling into the sort of cliché story about a girl wanting to do something she’s been told she can’t do. It reminds us that those sorts of “men only” roles leave out more than women. I thought that was a great point and loved the inclusivity of the story in this way.

Another thing that I thought was well-balanced in the book with these elements was Kit’s relationships with her family and friends. She’s kind of an avoider, so her emotional journey involved some situations where things implode because she’s put off something important– from math homework to confrontation with a parent. She has to learn to live in balance, and I loved being on that journey with her, celebrating her victories and laughing or crying right there with her.

So, yes. If you need an uplifting story that will make you laugh and warm your heart, just go get this book right now. (Check the content notes– there’s some swearing and drinking, so know that’s there.)

I think the book is amazing, and I love it and can’t wait to read it all over again. Also I want more heroines like Kit Sweetly in my life immediately.

If you liked THIS ADVENTURE ENDS by Emma Mills or THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU by Lily Anderson, then I predict you’ll enjoy THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY, too!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Kit’s best friend is black. She also works with someone who is nonbinary (and uses they/them pronouns), and a transgender woman.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl. Brief/vague reference to sex.

Spiritual Content
Kit’s dad works as a musician for a large church but is himself something of a con.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of jousting as a part of a medieval show. One worker falls from a horse and is seriously injured.

Drug Content
Scenes show teens drinking alcohol. A drunk adult tries to get children into the car with him, but they refuse. Some references and brief descriptions of drug use.

Note: I received a free copy of THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.