Tag Archives: secrets

Review: Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

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Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler-Fritz

Ruptured
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Holiday House
Published November 14, 2023

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About Ruptured

The sensitive, suspenseful story of a family coping with a life-changing tragedy, told in stunning verse.

Is it wrong to grieve for someone who is still alive?

Claire’s mom and dad don’t talk to each other much anymore. And they definitely don’t laugh or dance the way they used to. Their tense, stilted stand offs leave thirteen-year-old Claire, an only child, caught in the middle. So when the family takes their annual summer vacation, Claire sticks her nose in a book and hopes for the best. Maybe the sunshine and ocean breeze will fix what’s gone wrong.

But while the family is away, Claire’s mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm–right after she reveals a huge secret to Claire. Though she survives the rupture, it seems like she is an entirely different person. Claire has no idea if her mom meant what she said, or if she even remembers saying it. With the weight of her mom’s confession on her shoulders, Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery.

Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents stay together? And if the answer to either question is yes, how will Claire learn to live with what she knows? This beautifully written novel speaks to kids’ fears and credits their strength, and stems from the author’s incredible experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms.

My Review

I devoured this entire novel in one sitting. Claire’s frustration with her parents, the pressure she feels at her mother’s secret, it all felt so real and raw. Then, after her mother had the brain aneurysm rupture, Claire’s fear and grief were palpable. I’ve never been through something like what she went through with a parent, but the author brought me with her through that experience.

Another thing that I really liked was the way that Claire built a community of support for herself and her family. It isn’t something she does intentionally, but she does make choices that help her to create those connections. From making friends with a boy at the hospital to joining a support group and attending counseling at school to leaning into her relationship with her aunt, Claire finds ways to connect with others.

I love that there are books about these experiences not only for kids who will go through them or have been through them, but also for kids who haven’t. Reading about a child whose parent has a brain aneurysm rupture and recovers can help someone respond with more compassion and understanding if someone they know has a loved one going through this.

I think this is actually the second book about a brain aneurysm rupture that I’ve ever read. In Cammie McGovern’s JUST MY LUCK, which is also wonderful, I think the dad has a rupture and a long recovery that impacts the family.

I loved Rossmassler Fritz’s debut novel in verse, and this one must be shelved right beside it. What an emotional journey! Whew. And bravo to a fabulous writer for finding the courage to share such a personal story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Claire’s family is white. She befriends a Black boy whose mom has also had a brain aneurysm rupture. Claire’s best friend is Latine.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
People mention praying for Claire’s mom and her family.

Violent Content
Claire’s mom collapses after experiencing terrible head pain. Claire calls 911 and waits at a hospital to hear whether her mom will survive.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou

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Beneath the Swirling Sky
Carolyn Leiloglou
Waterbrook
Published September 12, 2023

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About Beneath the Swirling Sky

A house full of paintings, a missing sister, and a family secret send a boy and his cousin into a world where art is the key in this fantasy adventure perfect for fans of The Wingfeather Saga and Pages & Co.

After an experience he’d rather forget, Vincent is determined to be done with art. So when he and his little sister, Lili, spend spring break with their art conservator great-uncle, Vincent’s plan is to stay glued to his phone.

That is, until Lili disappears into one of the world’s most famous paintings and Vincent learns his parents have been hiding something from Their family is the last of The Restorationists, a secret society with the power to travel through paintings—and a duty to protect them from evil forces.

With Lili’s safety on the line, leaving art behind is no longer an option. Vincent must team up with his know-it-all second cousin Georgia, wrestle with why his parents lied to him, and confront both his past and a future he never wanted. Young readers are invited into a captivating universe where paintings become a portal—and adventure and danger lurk beyond every canvas.

My Review

This was a really fun story! I loved the descriptions of the different paintings and the way the characters could travel in and through them. Vincent struggles with self-doubt as an artist, so at first, he resists interacting with the paintings at his uncle’s house. But as he continues to feel a pull toward the art, he gradually recognizes that as part of his unique gifts.

I liked the relationship between Georgia and Vincent, too. She was bold and open, and they made a great team together.

The author’s note at the end of the book makes it pretty clear the author did a LOT of research for this story. I loved the attention to detail that she put into this. The paintings that appear in a private home are all privately owned. Those that appear at museums are museum-owned, though she says museums do trade their paintings around sometimes. I wouldn’t have stopped to really think about it, but I liked knowing that the author did consider where the real originals of those paintings actually are and made it part of the story.

All in all, I liked this one a lot. It sounds like a series opener, so I hope there are future stories about Vincent and his family to come.

Content Notes for Beneath the Swirling Sky

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Vincent’s sister, Lili, is Chinese American and adopted by his family. Vincent’s cousin Georgia is biracial: Mexican-American and white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vincent walks through a painting that features nude people. He feels uncomfortable and doesn’t look at them. His cousin tells him that there can be a lot of nudity in art and that he doesn’t have to look if he feels uncomfortable. An author’s note affirms this and encourages readers to ask adults for help before searching for art online.

Spiritual Content
Several paintings that Vincent and his cousin encounter are from bible stories. In one, they canoe on the Sea of Galilee while Jesus and his disciples are in a boat during a storm. Vincent learns that art is inspired by God and that he gives gifts for people to use to help others. He hears the story of a lesser-known painter who became a missionary to Africa because she felt called to help people.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Vincent and Georgia discover a group that appears to be kidnapping children. Vincent is forced to spar with another boy. At one point, a guard hits Vincent with a stun gun to subdue him.

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 BENEATH THE SWIRLING SKY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph

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

Secrets Never Die
Vincent Ralph
Wednesday Books
Published August 29, 2023

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About Secrets Never Die

We call it the Dark Place. I don’t know who built it or when but, for us, it’s special.

Every year Sam Hall and his friends hold funerals for their secrets in an abandoned hut in the woods that they call the Dark Place. But this year, their secrets are coming back from the dead…to terrorize them.

Sam is a former child star whose career went up in flames – literally. And no one, not even his best friend knows why. His friends each hold a secret pertaining to the night. A secret they would all like buried.

Now someone from the past is blackmailing them with their dangerous secrets. Sam isn’t sure who he can trust, who’s watching him – or how far he’s willing to go to bury the past once and for all.

When you’re alone in the dark, some things won’t stay hidden.

My Review

This isn’t my favorite genre, but I feel like I’m growing to appreciate it more through books like YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE TONIGHT and ONE OF US IS NEXT.

I liked that SECRETS NEVER DIE starts with a close-knit friend group, in which everyone hides a secret. I definitely didn’t predict the direction that some of those secrets took the story. There were a few things that I did successfully predict. They were pretty minor, though, so mostly, that made it satisfying that I was right.

One particular plot bend shifted the focus of the story away from the main characters. I found some of the things that happened at that juncture to be a little less engaging. By that point, though, the stakes of the story were so high, and it seemed like whoever had it out for Sam and his friends was closing in on them.

In one scene, Sam and his girlfriend need to make up after a fight. She sits at her desk reading her favorite book, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. Sam wants to talk to her, but he says she makes him wait until she gets to the end of the chapter she’s reading. I thought that was funny because PERKS only has four chapters in the whole book, and they’re like 40-60 pages. That’s a LONG wait, unless she happened to be near the end of one already.

On the whole, I think the book does a great job in the way the story builds tension. I liked the characters, and I kept finding reasons to sneak another chapter in so I could keep reading.

I think readers who enjoy suspense/thriller stories will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
One minor character is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two boys. Brief reference to who’s had sex and who hasn’t within Sam’s group.

Spiritual Content
Sam and his friends have a yearly ritual in which they each go into a hut to speak their darkest secrets, to release themselves from guilt over their pasts.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. More than one person faces danger from a fire. One character survives a suicide attempt. Characters receive threatening messages and creepy items. Two characters are in a car accident. Someone attacks others with a knife. In one scene, a child appears to be in danger.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a Halloween 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 SECRETS NEVER DIE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Reunion by Kit Frick

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

The Reunion
Kit Frick
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published August 29, 2023

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About The Reunion

From the author of I KILLED ZOE SPANOS comes a YA thriller in the vein of THE WHITE LOTUS and Karen M. McManus’s THE COUSINS following a doomed family reunion gone wrong at a posh Caribbean resort, where old grudges and dangerous secrets culminate in murder.

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:
The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.
The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.
The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.
The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

My Review

I KILLED ZOE SPANOS was one of those books I really wanted to read but wasn’t able to get a review copy of and haven’t (thus far) managed to pull from my backlist. All that to say that I’ve been looking forward to reading a book by Kit Frick, and THE REUNION is the first one I’ve read.

One of the things I found really intriguing about this book is the amount of screen time the soon-to-be-dead person gets. I don’t read tons of thrillers, so I’m not sure how commonly this is done. I can’t think of another book that I’ve read that does this, though. In any case, I found the idea that I got so much information about the murder victim really cool.

The story is told from four points of view. The twins, Addison and Mason, each share their perspectives. Their cousin Natalia and their stepbrother-to-be Theo also tell the story from their viewpoints. As the outsider to the family, Theo has the least backstory drama, though he plays a pivotal role in some of the other characters’ conflicts. I think he was probably my favorite character. I loved Natalia, too.

Something about the book reminded me a little bit of BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE by Rebecca Barrow, which I really liked. Both books include really wealthy characters who are used to getting what they want and explosive secrets. I think fans of Karen McManus will enjoy this one, and I’m even more eager now to check out I KILLED ZOE SPANOS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Natalia and her sister Mia are biracial: white and Puerto Rican. They have two moms. Theo is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some references to being attracted to someone off-limits.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Addison and Mason’s dad is an alcoholic with anger issues who crashed his car while driving drunk, injuring his family members. References to a past accidental death. One scene very briefly tells about a boy beating up another boy. Some descriptions of a man losing his temper and accidentally or purposely injuring a restaurant worker. One scene briefly describes a person’s death.

Drug Content
Adults drink alcohol at the resort. One adult buys alcohol for a teenage boy and pressures another boy to drink with him.

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 REUNION in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

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

Squire
Sara Alfageeh
Nadia Shammas
Quill Tree Books
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Squire

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

My Review

After seeing so many positive things about this book last year, I decided I really needed to read it. My nephew is really interested in graphic novels, so I’m always looking for new ones he might be interested in.

In its simplest terms, SQUIRE is the story of Aiza, who joins the army for an opportunity to train as a squire when she’s promised she’ll be granted full citizenship if she passes her training. She meets other recruits and an unlikely mentor and has to navigate through trials and betrayals.

I really liked Aiza and the small, close-knit group she forms at training. I loved the way the panels showed the characters’ expressions and the way the action sequences were laid out. The story pulled me in. I wanted to know what would happen to Aiza, so it was really easy to just keep reading all the way through this book.

The story addresses some racism and marginalization of Aiza and the Ornu people. She faces prejudice and betrayal. She feels caught in the middle as a soldier serving an empire that doesn’t acknowledge her people as equal members and who could be tasked with fighting against her own people. I thought those parts were well-incorporated into the fantasy setting and story.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be looking out for more work by these authors. Readers who enjoyed Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Aiza is Ornu, a marginalized minority race in her country. There are characters with a variety of skin tones.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Aiza and others sign up to join the army and train to be squires. Aiza experiences a battle in which one of her team members is injured. Characters make disparaging and racist comments about Aiza and her people.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

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House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of Salt #2)
Erin A. Craig
Delacorte Press
Published July 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About House of Roots and Ruin

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts; she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

My Review

I read this immediately after finishing HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS (my review isn’t live yet), but I don’t think you would need to read one read the other. Verity is a minor character and very young in the first book of the series. There are a couple of references to what happened, but they’re pretty carefully explained.

I think the pacing of this book is a lot smoother than the first one. At least, that’s how it felt to me. The last several chapters are pretty intense, but they didn’t feel as rushed as the same part of the story in the first book.

I also really enjoyed Verity’s character and the relationship between her and Alex. They were so sweet together, which was really cool in contrast to the dark, intense plot of the story. I thought it was cool to see this book feature a love interest who uses a wheelchair. I am not qualified to evaluate the representation, but I enjoyed the inclusion.

Of the two Sisters of the Salt books, this one is easily my favorite. I think readers who enjoyed A FORGERY OF ROSES by Jessica S. Olson would like the romance and creepy gothic setting of this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Verity is white. Her employer, Dauphine and her son Alex are people of color. Alex is paralyzed from his thighs down and uses a wheelchair.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
One of Verity’s sisters has a secret romance with a woman. Kissing between boy and girl. Vague references to sex (Alex worries whether this will be possible for him.). Verity discovers a secret bookshelf filled with pornographic books. She briefly but explicitly describes what she sees. One scene shows a boy and girl having sex.

Spiritual Content
Verity sees ghosts, but she can’t tell which of the people she sees are ghosts and which are not. She encounters some creepy situations, like what appear to be screaming women.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Descriptions of torture. References to assault. Some graphic descriptions of murder and attempted murder.

Drug Content
References to social drinking. Someone drugs, others through the use of poisons, hallucinogens, and opium.

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 HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN in exchange for my honest review.