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Review: The Stonekeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kibuishi

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,
The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet #2) by Kazu Kibuishi cover shows a girl in a hooded cloak with an amulet around her neck. The amulet is floating and glowing. An anthropomorphic fox stands beside her. At the bottom of the cover, a robot faces a hazy image of a city.

The Stonekeeper’s Curse (The Amulet #2)
Kazu Kibuishi
Graphix
Published September 1, 2009

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About The Stonekeeper’s Curse

A MYSTERIOUS WORLD FULL OF NEW ALLIES… AND OLD ENEMIES!

Emily and Navin’s mother is still in a coma from the arachnopod’s poison, and there’s only one place to find help: Kanalis, the bustling, beautiful city of waterfalls. But when Em, her brother, and Miskit and the rest of the robotic crew aboard the walking house reach the city, they quickly realize that seeking help is looking for trouble…dangerous trouble.

My Review

I feel like this series is really growing on me. I liked the first book, but I think this one was a smoother read. The first book had a lot to set up and introduce, but this one picks up right where the first one left off and immediately throttles forward.

I’m starting to feel like I’m getting to know the characters better, too, which is fun. I like both Em and Navin, and I’m really interested to see where each of their storylines take them. This seems like a series that would be the most enjoyable if you read them all in order, but I think there are enough clues to what happened in the first book that you could probably enjoy this one individually.

Will I continue with this series? Yes, I think so. I can get the books from my library pretty easily, and I am enjoying reading them. My nephews have already read this one, so I’m really just reading them for my own enjoyment at this point, and to broaden my experience with graphic novels.

I think these are great books for fantasy readers and anyone looking for a compelling fantasy story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
I think Emily and Navin are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Emily battles the amulet for control of its power. As she uses it more, the stone’s power grows and so does its desire to take over and control her.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Cartoonish battle scenes.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Fall of the School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

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

Fall of the School for Good and Evil (Rise of the School for Good and Evil #2)
Soman Chainani
HarperCollins
Published May 2, 2023

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About Fall of the School for Good and Evil

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is the #1 movie now streaming on Netflix—starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Wylie, Sophie Anne Caruso, Jamie Flatters, Earl Cave, Kit Young, and many others! 

What rises . . . must fall. Two brothers. One Good. One Evil. In exchange for power and immortality, they watch over the Endless Woods and rule the School for Good and Evil. Yet all School Masters must face a test. Theirs is loyalty. But what happens when loyalty is corrupted? When the bonds of blood are broken? Who will survive? Who will die? And what will become of the school and its students? The journey that started a hundred years ago throttles towards its end. This final chapter in the duology that began with the RISE OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL brings the tale of the twin School Masters to the brink of war and a shocking conclusion that will change the course of the school forever.

My Review

My favorite thing about this book was that it took me back to the world of the School for Good and Evil and gave me a chance to revisit some of the characters I loved from the first book. I loved seeing what Kyma, Marialena, and James Hook were up to and watching them pivot based on new information or circumstances that came up.

The story-slash-plot isn’t as densely packed in this book as I thought it was in the first one. The story also had a very large cast of characters, so at times, I struggled to keep the details straight about who was doing what. It was also a boy-heavy cast. I think there were something like two or three girls with a presence in more than one scene, so really not that many, considering the number of boy characters included.

I’ve only read the first book of the School for Good and Evil series, so I don’t know if that series centered a lot more around female characters as a whole, and this duology is more male-centered in order to counter-balance that. That would make sense, though, and be a nice way to broaden the appeal of both series.

All in all, I enjoyed revisiting the world of the School for Good and Evil and getting the complete story of the School Master. I’ve been thinking of listening to the series on audiobooks next year, so it’ll be interesting to go into those books with the backstory in mind. I’m curious what references to it I might find.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
At least one character is described as having bronze or brown skin. One character briefly indicates he might be attracted to both boys and girls. Another boy indicates he is only attracted to other boys.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Rafal and Rhian have the ability to breathe a bit of their souls (and their magic) into another person. Both use this ability, which one recipient refers to as a kiss.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Thematically, the story gets a bit dark at times– very true to the vibes of some original fairy tales. In one scene, some characters are left to be devoured by a cannibal who shows up wearing the literal faces of his past victims. Some leaders collect armies who agree to fight for them. Some scenes reference battles. One character has the ability to turn whatever he touches into gold, including people.

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 FALL OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL in exchange for my honest review.


Review: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

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

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published September 5, 2023

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About The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. So when the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its rotten guts to the world—as long as the school doesn’t break him first.

My Review

This book makes me realize how often I eat while I’m reading. I do not recommend doing that while reading this book– which is probably an obvious idea. It’s a horror novel, after all.

One of the main reasons this book hit my TBR list is that I was so blown away by the author’s debut, HELL FOLLOWED WITH US, which is a post-apocalyptic horror novel. If you ever wondered how post-apocalyptic stories and reimagined history could overlap, this pair of books would make a good study.

If I had to describe this book in under ten words, I would say, GIRL, INTERRUPTED but make it queer horror/historical fantasy. Just like his debut, Andrew Joseph White delivers stark prose and anguished characters. The relationships between some of the characters provide bright spots and soothing moments between the intensity of the other scenes.

I really appreciated the romance thread and the hopefulness that a few of the characters find as they form relationships with one another. It does get into some pretty intense body horror and gruesome medical descriptions, so this won’t be a novel for everyone. I also appreciate that the author includes a content warning at the front of the book.

All in all, horror will never be my favorite genre, but I am absolutely in awe of writers like Andrew Joseph White who deliver fast-paced, deep stories with incredible characters and unforgettable moments. If you’re looking for a dark, twisty horror novel with a hopeful undertone, grab this one immediately.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Silas is transgender and has autism. Another character is transgender. Brief mentions of women who have romantic feelings for each other.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used a bit frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
In one scene, a man grabs Silas and forces a kiss on him. Kissing between a boy and girl. Some characters shame others for being sexually active or for doing something perceived as flirting or being alone with a man.

Spiritual Content
Characters with violet eyes have the ability to see into the spirit realm and communicate with the spirits of people who have died. When men do this, it’s a sign of power, but women with this ability are told they’re sick and must be “treated.” (Read: tortured until their captors are satisfied they are submissive enough.)

Violent Content
Very specific descriptions of medical procedures, such as a hysterectomy. Some instances of torture. For example, one woman is forced to walk with glass in her shoes every day. A girl throws another girl down the stairs. At one point, a girl attacks another girl, choking and hitting her. A girl bites another girl. A man presents a woman to an audience after having removed her eyes, tongue, and teeth. The woman has apparently self-inflicted wounds on her wrists that look as if she bit herself.

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 THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Amari and the Great Game by B. B. Alston

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

Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations #2)
B. B. Alston
Balzer + Bray
Published August 30, 2022

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About Amari and the Great Game

Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this magical second book in the New York Times and Indie bestselling Supernatural Investigations trilogy—perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.

After finding her brother and saving the entire supernatural world, Amari Peters is convinced her first full summer as a Junior Agent will be a breeze.

But between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to stand up for magiciankind as its new leader, she declines. She’s got enough to worry about!

But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans for the League. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers’ successor and determine the future of magiciankind.

The Great Game is both mysterious and deadly, but among the winner’s magical rewards is Quinton’s last hope—so how can Amari refuse?

My Review

I loved the first book in this series, so I knew I would continue reading with AMARI AND THE GREAT GAME. Amari and Elsie are my favorite characters. I love their friendship and the way they challenge each other and back each other up.

Amari feels both very believably thirteen and mature for her age. Her reactions to things make a lot of sense, and honestly, her response to some of the adults in her life has made me think back on some things from my own childhood and my reactions to things even now.

I was really fortunate in that I had a lot of trustworthy adults around me as a child. So often, even if an adult did or said something I didn’t like, I trusted that they had a good reason because my experience taught me that was probably true. But Amari doesn’t really have that experience. She does have some trustworthy adults in her mom, her mentor Magnus, and instructor Fiona. But she also has a lot of awful experiences in which her needs or her experience are denied or silenced. I guess reading the book made me stop and think about how that experience would change your reaction to adults. Anyway, just food for thought, I guess.

There were a couple of moments where I thought others’ reactions to Amari didn’t make a lot of sense and were stretched to support a plot point. For example, Amari physically can’t talk about an event because she’s taken a vow of secrecy on it. When Elsie asks her about it, Amari clams up and can’t speak. Elsie assumes that Amari is willfully keeping secrets or playing some kind of joke on her. Elsie can see auras, so I kept wondering why she couldn’t see Amari’s distress from keeping a secret from her.

There were only a few moments like that, though, and often I was able to skip past them pretty easily to focus on the next step in the plan to save her world.

Conclusion

All in all, I think fans of the first book will love getting more of the story and the relationships we loved in the first book. The story ends in an intense place, so I’m already eager for book three.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Amari and her family are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. Some characters have been created by magicians.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Magic battles.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Before the Devil Knows You’re Here by Autumn Krause

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

Before the Devil Knows You’re Here
Autumn Krause
Peachtree Teen
Published October 3, 2023

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About Before the Devil Knows You’re Here

A deliciously dark folk horror for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig, blending the tall tales of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan with Faustian elements, and centering a fierce Mexican-American poet on a quest to rescue her brother.

1836. Wisconsin Territory. All Catalina has left is her little brother—Mama died years ago, and Papa was buried just yesterday. She and Jose Luis are alone now, in their ramshackle cabin on the edge of the Wisconsin wilderness, with the cold weather coming.

As Catalina sets plans to ensure their survival, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. Before Catalina can stop him, he scoops Jose Luis up and disappears. He leaves behind a strange bird with crimson wings. She can’t let this man—if that’s what he is—have her brother. With no idea where they’ve gone, she tracks the bird in hopes it will lead her to Jose Luis.

Along the way, she finds help from a young Paul Bunyan, whose life has also been changed by the Man of Sap. As they travel deeper into the Northwoods, they uncover more of the Man of Sap’s history and the connections he and Catalina share, ultimately learning her fate is deeply entwined with his—set in seeds planted long ago—and now, giving her the power to change his life or end it.

My Review

The cover of this book somehow suggested a totally different story to me. I kind of wish that it included some of the story elements or characters– Catalina with her strength and pride, and Paul with his axe. An apple tree, heavy with fruit.

At any rate, I loved the concept of this story from the beginning. Taking familiar American folklore and adding Faustian elements to it created a high-stakes story that felt like it was set in old America. I loved the magical elements and eeriness of the tale.

It’s called horror, and there are a few strange/scary moments. I thought on the whole that it was more eerie than terrifying.

I loved the characters in this book, from the story of John (Johnny Appleseed) and the curse he encounters to Catalina and her quest to rescue her missing brother. Paul Bunyan’s character was really cool, too. He almost had that folk hero too-good-to-be-real thing going on, but I liked the way the author layered his character so there was more to him than met the eye.

This is a fairly quick read at less than 250 pages, which is great for anyone looking for a shorter young adult fantasy novel. I think readers who enjoy creepy stories and historical fantasy or reimagined history will like this one a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The main character and her brother are biracial: white and Mexican American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently. In one scene, someone says something racist toward Catalina’s family.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
One character is the devil in disguise. A man receives a curse that turns him into a tree-like person, with bark for skin and sap for tears. He must carry a heavy satchel of seeds that grow into trees that produce poisoned apples that seduce people into eating them.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and some scary imagery. Catalina witnesses someone’s death from poison. Brief battles include fatality.

Drug Content
Poisoned apples kill anyone who eats them.

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 BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE HERE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer

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

The Search for Us
Susan Azim Boyer
Wednesday Books
Published October 24, 2023

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About The Search for Us

“A sharp-witted and illuminating, impressive sophomore novel.” – Isaac Blum, author of the award-nominated The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

Two half-siblings who have never met embark on a search together for the Iranian immigrant and U.S. Army veteran father they never knew.

Samira Murphy will do anything to keep her fractured family from falling apart, including caring for her widowed grandmother and getting her older brother into recovery for alcohol addiction. With attendance at her dream college on the line, she takes a long shot DNA test to find the support she so desperately needs from a father she hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Henry Owen is torn between his well-meaning but unreliable bio-mom and his overly strict aunt and uncle, who stepped in to raise him but don’t seem to see him for who he is. Looking to forge a stronger connection to his own identity, he takes a DNA test to find the one person who might love him for exactly who he is―the biological father he never knew.

Instead of a DNA match with their father, Samira and Henry are matched with each other. They begin to search for their father together and slowly unravel the difficult truth of their shared past, forming a connection that only siblings can have and recovering precious parts of their past that have been lost. Brimming with emotional resonance, Susan Azim Boyer’s THE SEARCH FOR US beautifully renders what it means to find your place in the world through the deep and abiding power of family.

My Review

Stories about the power of family, both found family and biological family, always hit me deep. This book is no exception. It has a lot of layers, which I think is hard to do well, but is well done here. The story feels full rather than crowded. The issues Henry and Samira face tie together and bring them together in unexpected ways.

As a person who grew up with a view of alcoholism in my extended family, a lot of things in the story about Samira and her impulses and beliefs really resonated with me. I liked the way the story addressed her codependency and tendency to “over-function” or control situations.

The chapters alternate between Samira’s and Henry’s points of view. I really liked both of them as characters, so it was really easy to get into the story. The chapters each had so much going on that I felt propelled from one to the next all the way to the end of the book. It felt like a really quick read.

All in all, I loved the messages about family, forgiveness, and relationships in this book. I think readers who enjoyed books like YOU’D BE HOME NOW by Kathleen Glasgow or YOU HAVE A MATCH by Emma Lord will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Henry and Samira are biracial, both Iranian and white. Samira’s best friend identifies as bisexual. Henry’s girlfriend, Linh, is Vietnamese and adopted by white parents.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Brief statement about “roaming hands” during a makeout session between a boy and girl. Samira’s best friend describes crushes on both boys and girls.

Spiritual Content
A man discusses his experience with Islamophobia. Someone defaces his Koran. He’s not allowed to pray when he should be able to.

Violent Content
Some references to Islamophobia. Henry fights a boy in a hockey game and later hits a man in a gas station he perceives as threatening.

Drug Content
Samira’s brother and two other relatives have alcohol use disorder. Henry’s girlfriend, Linh, smokes weed.

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 SEARCH FOR US in exchange for my honest review.