Tag Archives: siblings

Review: The Last Best Quest Ever by F. T. Lukens

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,
The Last Best Quest Ever by F. T. Lukens

The Last Best Quest Ever
F. T. Lukens
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published May 26, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Last Best Quest Ever

A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this cozy young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record of anyone in the kingdom’s history. She also has a secret: her fame is built entirely on lies. Tired of the charade, she shocks the kingdom by retiring at a royal feast. But her plans for a quiet life are disrupted when her twin brother Zig bets his life that Ellinore can retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast. To save Zig, she reluctantly sets out on one last, perilous quest.

Accompanying her are Zig, determined to help despite his recklessness; Aven, her envious rival eager to prove their superiority; an ambitious bar maiden turned adventurer; and a young, magic-wielding bard. Together, they face an arduous journey fraught with mythical challenges and shifting alliances. As they search for the Elder Beast, Ellinore grapples with her growing feelings for Aven, her fear of losing Zig, and her identity as a reluctant hero.

With time running out, Ellinore must confront not only the legendary creature but also her own truths. Can she save her brother, embrace her potential, and finally decide her path?

My Review

This was my most-anticipated read for 2026, so I was delighted to get a free copy from the publisher. I’ve been a huge fan of the author’s books since I first read Spell Bound in 2023. I think all three of their books that I’ve read would be considered contemporary fantasy, so I was excited to try this more traditional fantasy story. Though the story doesn’t make any overt Dungeons and Dragons references, it very much felt like the kind of quest one might play.

I grew up reading Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green, and though this story is more on the cozy side of fantasy, some of the humor reminded me of that book. I love a fantasy that pokes fun at genre tropes, and Lukens does that beautifully, if more subtly here.

The romance between Ellinore and Aven develops believably. It takes some time for Ellinore to recognize the feelings she’s having about Aven, and then it takes time for the two to actually talk about or acknowledge their feelings, but things roll out in a satisfying way.

I wish that the whole confrontation to acquire the horn of the Elder Beast had a little more going on in it. I won’t say it was anti-climactic, but it definitely kept to the cozy fantasy landscape rather than building to a peak of tension. The confrontation between Ellinore’s party and the mages toward the end of the book is really funny, though. I appreciated the humor in that scene and the tension that built up in that moment quite a bit.

All in all, I would say this only further cements my love for Lukens’ books. I think I have copies of the two they’ve written that I haven’t read, so hopefully I’ll get to those soon.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Mythical creatures and the use of magic. Some creatures are deities and created others. There’s a simple heirarchy in the story that’s very easy to follow.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and brief battle violence. It’s all pretty PG level.

Drug Content
References to visiting a tavern where people are presumably drinking alcohol, though none of the main characters do this.

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: The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

The Danger of Small Things
Caryl Lewis
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published March 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Danger of Small Things

Set in a world where bees are at risk of extinction, this startling YA dystopian is perfect for fans of Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now and Sarah Crossan, described by the author as a love letter to her daughter. 

Imagine a world where honeybees have died out. It’s a patriarchal world where famines are rife. It’s a world without art, without books, without plays. Girls are sent away from home, forced to pollinate crops by hand with brushes and to marry as soon as they can. Inhabiting this world is Jess and her friends Cass, Deva, and Ruth. But even if one fourteen‑year‑old knows that brushes weren’t invented for pollinating, can she really stoke a revolution?

Caryl Lewis: ‘As a beekeeper, I am acutely aware of the interconnectedness of everything and have long been frightened of how we, as humans, set ourselves apart from nature. We do not seem to understand that in destroying nature, we destroy ourselves. My daughter is growing up in what feels like a much more hostile environment facing climate instability, the rise of misogyny and the roll back of women’s bodily rights. I wanted to comfort and empower her and let her see that our greatest weapon in a floundering world is the imagination.’

My Review

I’m really fascinated by the fact that the author is herself a beekeeper, and that her experience inspired the story. Certainly, exploring the extinction of bees and its impact on global food supply is a timely one. In this story, Lewis connects this with a society that uses the food shortage to create a government system that uses its girls and women as labor before pressuring them into a life of raising the next generation of laborers.

Some elements of the story left me wanting more information about the larger world beyond the town where Jess lived. Where did the leaders go when they left the village? Who did they trade with?

I was a bit worried about Jess’s relationship with the guard. I think she was supposed to be thirteen or fourteen, and he was seventeen or eighteen. Nothing romantic happens between the two of them, though, and it doesn’t seem like Jess thinks of him in that way.

All in all, I think the concept of this book is very relevant. I could see readers who enjoy dystopian fiction liking this one a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing. Vague references to sexual abuse. (Not shown on the page.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to riots and political unrest. Some instances of homophobia.

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.

20 Young Adult Books Still on My Spring 2026 Reading List

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

20 Young Adult Books Still on My Spring 2026 Reading List

This spring has been an incredibly rough season. From personal tragedy to unexpected home repairs, I feel like nothing in my life has gone as planned. Reading-wise, I’m way behind. There’s just no other way to say it. It takes me longer to read a book right now, and some things are just too hard to read in the aftermath of losing my dad.

These are the books I agreed to review this spring and just haven’t been able to get to yet. I want to read all of them. (I’m pretty careful about what I accept for review.) As the days go by, it has become clear to me that I simply won’t be able to get to all these books and post the reviews in a timely manner.

I hope you enjoy the list. Please let me know if you’ve read anything listed here, especially if it was amazing! I can always use a good book recommendation.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

20 Young Adult Books Still on My Spring 2026 Reading List

Holloway by Elana K. Arnold

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A girl grieving her mother’s death gets lost in a holloway. This looks twisty, emotional, and engaging. I’ve put off reading it as I’m unexpectedly processing the death of a parent myself, but I really want to read this one soon.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Game of Oaths by S.C. Bandreddi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A trapeze artist in a magical circus tournament – I love all those words. Even better, this book is about a girl who competes in the tournament to avenge her sister’s death. I’m so in.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: I loved Boyce’s first D&D rom-com, so I’m super excited for this summer band camp plus a swoony D&D romance. Bring it on!

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Lustrous Dark by Loretta Chefchaouni

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: a YA fantasy inspired by a Moroccan folktale in which a girl rises up to reclaim power that’s been taken from women. The cover copy claims this is perfect for readers who love political revolution, fighting the patriarchy, female friendships, and cinnamon roll love interests. That’s me!

Published May 19, 2026 | My Review to Come

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A new Sarah Dessen novel! Yes! This one is about a girl whose carefully laid plans collapse, and she has to live (yikes!) without a plan for after high school. Sounds horrifyingly relatable.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

Girls Like Us by Jennifer Dugan

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A follow-up to Some Girls Do, about the challenges of a long-distance relationship and the tension between romance and living one’s dreams. I’m looking forward to this one.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A strange inn with magical secrets. A handsome groundskeeper’s son. This cozy romantic fantasy sounds like the perfect book for me.

Published March 31, 2026 | My Review to Come

Being Aro edited by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: This collection features twelve stories of characters saving the day and celebrating connection and love sans romance. I loved the other collection edited by Dyer and Thor, so I really want to read this one.

Published May 26, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Redwood Bargain by Markelle Grabo

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A girl must pose as her Lady to save her from the Redwood Man, a task which will cost her life if she’s discovered. This looks eerie and dark. I’m excited to read this.

Published April 28, 2026 | My Review to Come

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, Akimaro, Li Lu, and Barbara Perez Marquez

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: I enjoyed reading this book several years ago, and I am excited to see how this team adapted it to a graphic novel format. Laura Jean’s story is relatable and funny, so this will be a perfect story to revisit this summer.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A graphic novel version of The Odyssey, which is perfectly timed. I’m interested in refreshing my memory of the story, which I haven’t read since high school.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Spell for Unraveling (The Buried and the Bound #3) by Rochelle Hassan

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: Possibly my most-anticipated book release this year! This is the finale of The Buried and the Bound, and I have to know how these characters save the day, find love, and (hopefully) break a curse.

Published April 28, 2026 | My Review to Come

Behind Five Willows by June Hur

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: An homage to Jane Austen set in historical Korea about a girl who helps distribute banned books while her family pressures her to marry. This looks amazing.

Published May 19, 2026 | My Review to Come

If You Were Here by Abigail Johnson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: I can never get enough grumpy/sunshine romance, and this one looks excellent. A tourist and museum worker team up to find the truth about an ancestor and instead discover truths about themselves.

Published April 28, 2026 | My Review to Come

This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: An injury ends the athletic career of a young Black basketball player. Searching for a new way to make his voice heard, he joins a writing program. Sounds thoughtful and timely.

Published May 12, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Labyrinth of Waking Dreams by Michelle Kulwicki

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: Three teens discover a gateway to a mythical labyrinth in the Appalachian mountains. I spent summers in the Appalachian mountains growing up, so I’m super excited to revisit that landscape via this novel.

Published April 21, 2026 | My Review to Come

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A team of contestants must solve escape rooms to advance in a reality show series while faced with an unsolved murder mystery from an earlier season. I love this premise, and I’m sure I’ll find this one unputdownable.

Published April 7, 2026 | My Review to Come

Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: A younger sister bent on solving the murder of her older sister and pop starlet, even if it takes her through the darker side of global fame. This looks riveting– the kind of story I won’t be able to look away from.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: The back cover copy calls this fantasy inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy perfect for fans of Descendant of the Crane, which is a favorite book for me. I have to read this one.

Published April 14, 2026 | My Review to Come

Shards of Silence by Brian Lee Young

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: This novel connects a young Navajo teen’s present-day experience at an elite boarding school with his great-grandmother’s experience at an Indian Boarding School. A timely, important story.

Published May 5, 2026 | My Review to Come

What’s on your spring reading list?

What books are still on your spring reading list? Have you read any of the books I listed here? Leave a comment and let me know what you’re hoping to read soon or which of these titles I should push to the top of my reading list.

Review: The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy
Erin Edwards
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published April 7, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy

Mr. Darcy got his happily ever after in Pride and Prejudice, and now it’s his sister’s turn in this swoony queer romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Georgiana Darcy has only ever kissed one girl before, and the resulting blackmail almost ruined her reputation. Since then, she’s carefully calibrated her life to be as quiet as possible, focusing on books and music. She certainly isn’t planning on falling in love with another girl. But then she meets Kitty Bennet, and everything is thrown off kilter.

After a moonlit kiss shifts their newfound friendship into something more, Georgiana follows Kitty to the Bennets’ home. The visit proves ill-timed when she encounters the one man who knows her secret and threatened her with it before. Terrified of testing the limits of her family’s love and of putting Kitty in danger, Georgiana doesn’t know if there’s any chance of a happy ending.

Every etiquette guide she’s ever read makes it clear that if she wants to protect her family name, Georgiana must pretend her heart follows society’s accepted rhythm. Unless, with a little help from those who understand how it feels, she can compose the future she and Kitty both deserve.

My Review

It’s always interesting to read a spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. It’s the work by Jane Austen that I’m most familiar with (and a go-to audiobook when I’m having trouble sleeping), so I sometimes get picky about how authors reimagine or eliminate certain story elements.

This story takes place after the original timeline and follows the coming-of-age of Georgiana Darcy. It also features Kitty Bennet, the sister most overlooked in the original.

I liked how the book reimagines both Georgiana and Kitty. Both characters felt like they could conceivably be found in the original novel, but our understanding today of neurodivergence and identity gives the characters’ interpretations new space to expand. I especially love that, in this story, Georgiana is a composer as well as a musician. That was a nice touch. Kitty wants to explore the world, which seems very much in line with her impulsive nature in Austen’s novel.

Some minor characters seemed a little oversimplified, but for the most part, I appreciated getting to see this familiar cast on scene in this sweet story. I enjoyed the development of the girls’ romance, and especially loved that Edwards included an older couple to mentor them at a critical moment.

All in all, if you’re looking for a sapphic regency era romance, definitely try this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Vague references to homophobia or fears of homophobic reactions to coming out. References to a blackmail situation before the story began.

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: The Fall of Iris Henley by Jennifer Graham

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

The Fall of Iris Henley
Jennifer Graham
Wednesday Books
Published February 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Fall of Iris Henley

For fans of Megan Lally and Kara Thomas, a twisty thriller about a Texas teen accused of murder who’s desperate to clear her name.

All it takes to ruin someone’s life is the stroke of a key. Just ask Iris Henley. Her life is destroyed when someone posts an anonymous message on her high school’s subreddit thread: “Iris Henley is a killer. I’ve been too scared to come forward until now, but I saw her murder Rocky and Lynette last summer.”

Just like that, Iris loses everything. Her reputation. Her friends. Her hope of getting into college on scholarship. Even, possibly, her freedom, once the police start to investigate. After all, she’s the perfect suspect: Rocky was her boyfriend, and Lynette was her ex-best friend—and the girl he was cheating on her with. But Iris didn’t do it, and now it’s up to her to clear her name by finding out who did—before it’s too late.

Propulsive, sharp, and absolutely twisty from the New York Times bestselling author who brought readers the Veronica Mars duology, Jennifer Graham’s YA thriller is unputdownable.

My Review

I have to agree with the cover copy– I found this book unputdownable, for sure. Iris is a fabulous heroine. She’s flawed, sure, but her grief is palpable, and her desperation to recapture some kind of normal life experience in the wake of terrible tragedy makes her easy to identify with.

The cast of characters is memorable and elicited a lot of strong feelings from me. I think, weirdly, I felt the most for Lynette. She definitely made mistakes, including some really bad ones. But she read like someone reacting to trauma, and I wished that the story had explored what happened to her a little more.

On the other hand, I think it’s not a bad thing to have a character who reads like there’s more going on than the author tells us, because that’s pretty true to life. We don’t always get to know what the people around us are facing, sometimes even the people closest to us.

The stakes in this book just kept getting higher for Iris. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat as the story sped toward its conclusion. I stayed up far too late finishing this one.

All in all, I think readers who enjoyed Girls Like Us by Mindy McGinnis or books by Courtney Summers will not want to miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing, references to sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to murder and suicide. Online bullying. One scene shows an attempted murder.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at parties in a couple of scenes. One minor character abused drugs (not shown on scene).

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: The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

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

The Scammer
Tiffany D. Jackson
Quill Tree Books
Published October 7, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Scammer

A ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose college life is turned upside down when her roommate’s ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.

Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?

Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.

My Review

I’m posting about a lot of books that are my first time reading books by authors this week, and this is no exception. Tiffany D. Jackson has been on my reading list for a LONG time, but I finally managed to read one of her books.

And, wow. You know that feeling on a roller coaster, where you’re being propelled upward, and you know the fall is coming any minute? That’s how it felt reading this book. It’s called The Scammer, and the back cover copy offers some pretty strong clues about what kind of story this is, so I had no reason to be surprised by Devonte’s behavior. But I felt like I wanted to jump between him and those girls, or at least to tell Jordyn to listen to herself so many times.

It was easy to feel Devonte’s magnetism, both in how people responded to him and in the way his character was written. While I wanted Jordyn to escape, I also felt how affected she was by his words and ideas.

I thought it was a really interesting choice to set the story on an HBCU campus. This posed some interesting questions and introduced ideas that a different setting may not have centered as easily.

The story is timely and bold. Jordyn’s hunger for connection with her peers, especially her roommates, was so powerful. Her grief was also easy to sense. The balance between the mystery/suspense elements and the romance was perfect. I felt like both fit well within the story.

I’m a huge fan of this author now, and I want to read everything else she’s written. I think I already own several more of her books, so hopefully I’ll get to those this year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. One character tells another that their family abused them, even if they don’t remember it.

Spiritual Content
One character shares some brief information about her Christian faith. Another character directs others to refer to him as a god.

Violent Content
References to death by suicide (happens off-scene). Some scenes show domestic abuse and a group attacking one person at another’s direction. References to gun violence resulting in death.

Drug Content
Some scenes show teens (college students) drinking alcohol. Someone drugs another person’s drink.

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.