Tag Archives: Romance

Review: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , ,
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1)
Diana Wynne Jones
Greenwillow Books
Published August 1, 2001 (Originally published 1986)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle.

To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

My Review

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE is the first book by Diana Wynne Jones that I’ve ever read. I think that’s weird, considering how popular her books are and how much I read as a kid, but there you go. First time for everything, I guess.

I wasn’t sure whether I would like this book or not when I first started it. I felt like the author was kind of making jokes about fantasy as a genre, and I wasn’t always sure I was in on them? For instance, Sophie worries about being the eldest of three sisters, because it means there’s no likelihood that anything magical or amazing will happen to her. I wasn’t sure if that was something that was particular to her world or a joke about fairytales?

Anyway, once the witch cursed Sophie and she ran away, I got a lot more invested in the story. She’s smart and loyal, and I loved her from the first moment she rescued the dog stuck in the hedge.

I also thought it was clever to tell the story from the perspective of a girl under a curse that makes her look like an old woman. Normally I’m not a fan of children’s books written from the point-of-view of an adult, but Sophie wasn’t really an adult… she just looked like one. Which was an interested juxtaposition.

All the way through the book, new pieces get added to the mystery of Sophie’s curse and the story of Howl and why he is what Sophie terms, “a slitherer-outer”. I loved the book, and really want to read more stories by Diana Wynne Jones.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to Howl falling in love with lots of women and trying to make them fall in love with him.

Spiritual Content
Some characters use magic. Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste. Howl has a contract with a fire demon.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
Howl comes home drunk one night.

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

Review: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil

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

Mooncakes
Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil
Oni Press
Published October 22, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Mooncakes

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

My Review

I reviewed TIDESONG by Wendy Xu and noticed that a lot of other reviewers commented on how much they’d loved MOONCAKES, so I decided to check it out. I feel like I’m always saying I’m not really a big reader of graphic novels, and I’m not, but I’ve read several this year that I’ve really enjoyed. MOONCAKES is definitely one of those!

At the start of the story, we meet Nova, who helps her grandmothers in their magical bookshop. When Nova’s friend Tam returns to town in trouble, Nova immediately decides to help them. As the two reconnect, some romance blossoms. Some secrets get spilled. Plot twists happen. I found I couldn’t stop reading.

Between the beautiful illustrations and the charming dialogue, I got completely sucked into this story. I loved Nova’s grandmothers. They’re so practical and chill about everything. And I loved watching Nova and Tam’s relationship develop. It’s absolutely sweet.

MOONCAKES is definitely written for an older audience than TIDESONG, but I loved it all the same. I think readers who love witchy stories about found family will want to check this one out (if you haven’t already!).

Content Notes for Mooncakes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Tam is nonbinary. Nova is maybe pansexual? Two women, Nova’s grandmothers, are in a relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a girl and a nonbinary person.

Spiritual Content
Nova and her grandmothers are witches. Tam is a werewolf. They fight other spiritual creatures.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Cartoonish battle violence.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus

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

One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2)
Karen McManus
Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Published January 7, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About One of Us Is Next

Come on, Bayview, you know you’ve missed this.

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller everyone is talking about, One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules.

My Review

I had a little bit of a rough start with this book. It’s been a while since I read ONE OF US IS LYING, but actually, ONE OF US IS NEXT does a great job reacquainting us with the characters from the previous book. The downside of that was that it also introduced a lot of characters in the first couple of chapters and it took me a bit to get everyone and their connections all sorted out.

Once I had that all figured out, I pretty quickly got into the book. As with the first book, clues about what’s happening come from surprising places. Everyone has secrets and motives that aren’t always clear cut.

I liked this cast of characters, too. Maeve is a cancer survivor, and she begins having symptoms of a relapse but doesn’t want to face it. So she decides not to tell anyone. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to reach into the story and beg her not to do that. I loved the way we got to know her and the things she learned about herself in the story.

Phoebe was also a great character. Her rocky relationship with her sister resonated with me a lot. And I loved all that happened as she got to know and grow closer to Maeve and Knox. The story left me with one Phoebe question that I really wanted answered. She discovers a connection to her past and doesn’t ever seem to consider whether the person who had that connection sought her out knowing who she was or if it was a terrible coincidence. Maybe that question gets answered in ONE OF US IS BACK, which comes out next summer?

On the whole, I liked this one. It had a lot of reveals in the places I needed them. It kept me guessing in some places and kept me turning pages, super tense about what would happen, in other places. If you liked ONE OF US IS LYING, definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Maeve is Colombian American and a cancer survivor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. References to a boy being bullied in the past because he was outed as gay. A girl gets bullied because of rumors she slept with someone. A boy gets bullied because of rumors he wasn’t aroused when his girlfriend was prepared to have sex with him.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to an accidental death at a construction site. Threatening messages online and through text messages. A high school student dies. Four other students witness his death. A boy hits another boy hard enough to give him a concussion.

See spoiler section below for additional information.

Drug Content
One scene shows a house party at which teens are drinking alcohol.

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

****

****

SPOILER

A bomb explodes, injuring people.

Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

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

When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi #1)
Sandhya Menon
Simon Pulse
Published May 30, 2017

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About When Dimple Met Rishi

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family—and from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

My Review

I remember really wanting to read WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI when it came out. It seemed like this book was everywhere, and like everyone was talking about it. Obviously it took me a while to catch up, but by now I’ve read two other books by Sandhya Menon: OF CURSES AND KISSES and TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT PINKY.

I think Pinky is my favorite so far. There’s something irresistible to me about a girl who adopts a wild opossum because it keeps fainting, I guess. Haha! I loved that story, though, so that only made me want to read WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI even more.

One thing I love about this book is the way that even though Dimple pushes toward her own independence from her family, she clearly loves and values them. I loved that the app she wants to build would help her dad manage his diabetes and how much care and thought she puts into that. I felt like that tug of war– Dimple’s desire to break away from traditions and live her own life versus her connections to and love for her parents– came across as very real and deepened her character a lot.

Another thing I love is the relationship between Rishi and his brother. At first, they are on two completely different pages, more rivals than friends. But as they begin to develop a relationship away from home and see new things about each other, their relationship changes. Those changes help them make better choices in their lives in other areas, too.

On the whole, I enjoyed the romance and relationships in WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI. I’m super glad I read it and hope to read more books by Sandhya Menon in the future.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Dimple and Rishi are both Indian American. Dimple’s roommate is Dominican American and has dated both girls and boys.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. A group of performers go onstage in revealing outfits.

Spiritual Content
Some discussion of spiritual beliefs and traditions.

Violent Content
A group of boys get into a fist fight.

Drug Content
Dimple and Rishi attend a college party where there’s drinking.

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

Review: Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller

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

Master of Iron (Bladesmith #2)
Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel & Friends
Published Jul 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Master of Iron

In MASTER OF IRON, the conclusion to Tricia Levenseller’s exciting Bladesmith YA fantasy duology, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety must race against the clock to save her beloved sister and stop a devastating war.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister’s life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn’s capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she’s been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva’s safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she’s not sure just how much of herself she’ll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she’s been trying to stop.

My Review

I loved BLADE OF SECRETS, and specifically the way Ziva’s anxiety is described. She pulls you into her headspace, laying out her fears and worries in a frank thought train. I felt like that made her anxiety really present. It felt overwhelming to read sometimes, which made it that much more real to me.

MASTER OF IRON has the same quality to it, where Ziva draws us into her rigid thoughts and lets us feel caged in by them. That component of the story was done really well, as was the way she and Kellyn relate to one another. I liked that they had some frank conversations about their feelings and that he asked for her to verbalize her needs rather than assuming he knew what it is that would help her.

The story picks up immediately where BLADE OF SECRETS leaves off, with Temra injured and unconscious in the wagon and Ziva, Kellyn, and Petrik desperately rushing to a healer in an attempt to save her. From the very opening, there’s hardly a moment to draw breath. Crises leap out at every turn. Ziva rushes from one problem to the next, the stakes growing higher and her resolve against making weapons of war growing stronger.

I loved the way she explored the limits of her gift and how it could be used in less violent ways. I didn’t expect that to be a significant part of the story, but I’m really glad it was.

On the whole, I’m glad I read this second book in the duology. If you liked the first book, definitely read MASTER OF IRON.

Content Notes

Battle violence and some scenes showing torture.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Ziva has anxiety.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. Ziva and Kellyn discuss having sex, but he wants to wait until he gets married.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to deities celebrated in Ziva’s world.

Violent Content
Battle violence. Descriptions of torture.

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 MASTER OF IRON in exchange for my honest review.

Review: This Cursed Crown by Alexandra Overy

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

This Cursed Crown (These Feathered Flames #2)
Alexandra Overy
Inkyard Press
Published December 6, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This Cursed Crown

Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally’s help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.

Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov’s help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.

But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy…

My Review

Last year I read and liked THESE FEATHERED FLAMES, so when I saw this sequel, I decided to read it and find out how the story ends. I enjoyed the story world a lot. There are some really interesting elements with magic. If someone uses magic, they have to pay a price. It can be as small as a few strands of hair or as large as someone’s life. If they don’t pay a price for using magic, then the Firebird, Asya, finds them and exacts the price through the power of the firebird, which lives in her.

I like that the story alternates between the points of view of the sisters Asya and Izaveta. I was really drawn to both points of view in this book, and I liked the complexity of their relationship.

The only thing that I struggled with reading this book is that it felt like it took a long time to read, especially at the beginning. Like, I felt like I’d been reading for a long time and when I checked my progress, I was only 10% through the book. I don’t know if the writing is more complex than other books that I usually read, or if the plot was slow to start or what.

Once I got to about the 40 or 50% mark, I seemed to be moving through the story more quickly. The end was pretty climactic, so that definitely helped.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed the book and am glad that I read it. I think the end kind of made up for the slow start in its higher action and satisfying story elements.

I think readers who enjoyed the political intrigue and magical elements of SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo or THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates will like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Asya is in love with a woman.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. Some made up curses used, too.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
There’s a national religion whose leader holds a lot of power at court. Asya has the power of the firebird in her and is charged with maintaining the balance of magic in the kingdom.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle violence and torture using magic.

Drug Content
A reference to people drinking alcohol at a celebration.

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 THIS CURSED CROWN in exchange for my honest review.