Tag Archives: Strong Heroine

Review: The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

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Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna
Alda P. Dobbs
Sourcebooks
Published September 14, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left―her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito―until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: “They’re like us barefoot peasants and indios―they’re not meant to go far.” But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border―a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

My Review

I read this book in one sitting, both because it’s a pretty easy read, but also because I couldn’t stop. Petra is bright and full of curiosity and determination to keep the promise she made to her father to care for her family. She makes sure they stay together, helps them when they’re weak, and stays focused on what matters, no matter what comes across her path. Her relationship with her grandmother is complex– there are levels where they just don’t get each other, and others where they deeply connect. I loved that.

The descriptions of the places Petra travels are vivid and gripping. I felt like I could almost taste and smell the food sometimes. And the hot dry desert and its affect on them as they traveled felt so real.

Though there’s some violence, it mostly happens off-scene, with some one-line references to what’s happened. In the author’s note, the author talks about how she learned about these events from her own family’s history rather than at any point in school. I didn’t learn about these events in school either, so I was really moved by the history in which THE BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA takes place. It made me want to learn a lot more about Mexican history.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The characters really resonated with me, especially Petra and Marietta, a captain in the rebel forces. I think readers who enjoy historical fiction or stories about strong female heroes will love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are Mexican.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Petra and her family seek refuge in a church. Petra’s grandmother has taken them to mass only rarely.

Violent Content
Soldiers force boys and men to join their ranks, executing them by firing squad if they refuse. (That’s referenced, but not explicitly shown.) Soldiers tear apart Petra’s home looking for her cousin. They burn the village, and Petra and her family flee. They threaten to kill civilians.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: The Other Side of Luck by Ginger Johnson

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The Other Side of Luck
Ginger Johnson
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Published August 10, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Other Side of Luck

Follows two children from opposite circumstances as their fates cross and change both their lives forever.

Ever since her mother’s death, Princess Una has suffered through years of loneliness in the royal palace, where girls are treated as an afterthought. She yearns for a different life but is unsure how to make anyone notice her. Then her father announces a special contest: Whoever finds the rare Silva Flower can present it to Una for her twelfth birthday and receive a reward. Frustrated by her father’s grand but empty gesture, Una decides to take her fate into her own hands.

Julien, a young pauper, has tried his whole life to make something of nothing, alongside his hardworking Baba. When Baba is arrested by terrifying debt collectors, Julien’s only hope to save his father is to win the palace contest–to find the elusive Silva Flower. Little does he know that Una has decided to embark on a journey to find the prize, as well. As Una and Julien search for the flower, their destinies intertwine and offer a reward greater than anything either could ever hope for.

My Review

This book. My heart.

When I see a book that’s being promoted as having a lyrical or poetic style, I’m always drawn to that. Sometimes it’s a bit of a two-edged sword, though, because sometimes I get excited and expect something specific, and then end up disappointed. This time was not one of those times, though!

From the very first page, I loved this book. The writing is definitely more poetic and lyrical. Because both main characters have one really strong sense (smell in one case and hearing in the other), the descriptions for those characters major on their strong sense. I felt like this created a really immersive story. Even though some of the scenes had a little bit of a bird’s-eye-view type feel, the sensory details kept the story feeling really close and personal, super emotive.

In other words, all things I like!

And the themes. Oh goodness. Grief and estrangement. Fear and anxiety. Loneliness. Those were all so deep and well done. Best of all, though, was the exploration of the healing power of friendship and found family. Those all wove together and created such a moving, soothing story. I love it so much.

Every year as I read, there are a few books that I hold on to as possible Christmas gifts for family and friends. This one will be at the top of that list. I think readers who like whimsical, sweet and deep stories like THE FIREBIRD SONG will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Julien is white and Una is described as having brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some magic. Julien can hear leaves unfurling and other sounds that plants make. A woman makes a special soup that has healing properties.

Violent Content
A man lies to authorities so than an innocent man is arrested of a crime he didn’t commit. A band of robbers kidnap and tie up victims, threatening to kill them. Children face situations of peril.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

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Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)
Amanda Foody
Harlequin Teen
Published April 10, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ace of Shades

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

My Review

I started listening to this book because it was included in my Audible membership, and I was really impressed with the performance of the narrator. Within a few minutes, I was pretty hooked on the story world of ACE OF SHADES, with its maffia-esque gangs and fancy casinos and clubs. It’s not a type of story that I usually seek out, but I was intrigued enough to give it a shot.

Some bits of it reminded me a little of SIX OF CROWS— in terms of the gangs and clubs, but I loved that the story had this very late 1800s feel to it, with the addition of an unusual magic system based on family lineage.

I really like that while Enne is challenged by the city, the secrets she uncovers, and the things she must to do survive, she doesn’t lose herself. She finds talents and strengths that she didn’t know she had, as well as a confidence she never believed possible.

The second and third books in the series are available on Audible, too, but they’re not included with membership right now, so I’d have to pay for them to continue reading– and I think it’s so worth doing that! I have a few other things on my listening list to get to first, but then I really want to get back to The Shadow Game series and find out what happens to Enne and Levi next.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Levi is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. Other made up curses are used more often.

Romance/Sexual Content
Enne is tasked with poisoning a man who is a known pedophile who goes after underage girls and has sex with them. He makes a clear pass at her, which terrifies and disgusts her.

Some descriptions of attraction between characters. At one point Enne sees a brief vision of herself in bed with another character.

Spiritual Content
Characters possess magic abilities that give them advantages or supernatural abilities.

Violent Content
One character curses others, binding them to her so they must do as she orders or else die.

Some scenes show battles between gang members with knives or fists.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol. One character offers another an alcoholic drink even though he believes her to be under age. Poison and other drugs are used to harm others.

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

Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

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The Belles (The Belles #1)
Dhonielle Clayton
Disney-Hyperion
Published February 6, 2018

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Belles

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

My Review

Note: A few years ago, I partnered with another reviewer who reviewed THE BELLES for The Story Sanctuary. I don’t want to negate or take anything away from her review, but ever since I read the sequel, THE EVERLASTING ROSE, and found that I enjoyed it, I have been thinking of adding my own review of the first book in the series. So at last, here I am with my own review. Yay!

I really enjoyed THE BELLES. I liked the strange story world, in which tiny blimps trail perfume down hallways and balloons deliver messages. Where tiny teacup pets are all the rage.

It’s a story about powerful women who can impart beauty to others, but in a world which doesn’t allow them their own freedom.

I was a fan of Camellia from the very beginning. She’s smart and a bit impulsive, but she consistently reminds others of their value beyond beauty treatments. She tries to see the best in people. She wants to be the best.

Since this is a story that centers around beauty, I think I was prepared for it to be a shallow kind of book. Parties and glamor and fashion. And there are all those things present in the story. But I think because they’re set against this really sinister backdrop– with the Belles having so little freedom of their own, and with deeply troubling things coming to light– I felt like it had a great balance of celebrating beauty and also looking beyond it.

The relationship between Camellia and the story’s villain had me on the edge of my seat. I did not expect a lot of what happened between them. I did not expect her to be so terrifying. So, I had to keep reading because I had to know what Camellia would do.

Conclusion

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book– both books in the duology, actually. Dhonielle Clayton will be the author of one of the books in The Mirror series, and I’m even more excited now to read that book. (Check out my review of the series opener BROKEN WISH by Julie C. Dao.)

I think fans of THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass will love this book centered around women, power, and beauty.

Content Notes for The Belles

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Characters have various skin tones and racial characteristics, but other than the Belles, these are artificially created. The Belles themselves represent a diverse group of people. A couple of minor characters are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kisses between boy and girl and two girls. (See violent content for trigger warning.)

Spiritual Content
Belles are created by the Goddess of Beauty. Other mentions of the God of the Sky and the God of the Sea.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for Sexual Assault
A man attacks a woman, kissing her against her will and ripping her dress. It’s clear he means to rape her and it’s later hinted that he has a long history of this kind of predatory behavior.

A woman describes another person tormenting an animal and eventually killing it. Other brief mentions of harm to animals.

A woman bullies others, including forcing a Belle to transform them in humiliating or inappropriate ways.

In a couple instances, intense beauty treatments result in the death of the person being treated.

Drug Content
Belle Rose tea acts as a pain reliever, allowing clients to endure physical transformations with less pain than they would ordinarily cause. One of Camellia’s clients brews her own, stronger elixir from the tea.

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

Review: Daughter of the White Rose by Diane Zahler

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Daughter of the White Rose
Diane Zahler
Holiday House
Published February 16, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Daughter of the White Rose

Can a common girl save a prince trapped in the Tower of London?

April. England. 1483. The king is dead. Long live the king.

Nell Gould is the daughter of the royal butcher, a commoner, but she has been raised as the playmate of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth’s royal children: Princess Cecily, Princess Bess, Prince Dickon, and Prince Ned, heir apparent and Nell’s best and closest friend. They think alike, her and Ned, preferring books and jousts to finery and gossip and the sparkle of the court. But when King Edward dies, Prince Ned is imprisoned in the Tower of London by his scheming uncle, the evil Richard III–and Nell with him. Can they escape? Is Nell the key?

Based on the real royal scandal of the Princes in the Tower, DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE covers a shocking episode in medieval history that has captured the imagination for 530 years. A story of murder, betrayal, resilience, and growing up, this girl-led medieval middle-grade novel will make a perfect companion to CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and THE MAD WOLF’S DAUGHTER.

My Review

It’s been a long time since I read CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY, but I can definitely see why this book is compared to that one. Though DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE isn’t told in diary entries, it has the feel of someone recording a memoir. At first I thought that only the beginning might be that way since the first chapter is about Nell’s birth, but it’s a style that stays through the whole story.

I liked that the story followed Nell and her connection to the royal family. I also liked that though there are some dark moments, Nell doesn’t witness things, like murder, directly in front of her. I liked her character, too. She’s smart and determined, and won’t allow herself to be pressed into a mold based on anyone else’s expectations for her. I also loved that she was so inspired by other female writers.

I think readers who are interested in historical fiction will enjoy this book. Readers who liked CLIFTON CHASE AND THE ARROW OF LIGHT by Jaimie Engle should give this one a read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
One kiss between a boy and girl. At one point, Nell learns that the king has a mistress.

Spiritual Content
Nell considers becoming a nun. At one point she spends a lot of time in prayer.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of death or murder.

Drug Content
Adults drink wine socially.

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

Review: Alone by Megan E. Freeman

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

Alone
Megan E. Freeman
Simon & Schuster/Aladdin
Published January 12, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Alone

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

My Review

I tend to really enjoy novels in verse, but also feel a little bit inadequate reading them? Does this happen to anyone else? Just me?

Even with that, I really liked ALONE. It’s a bit too dark to say I enjoyed it– lots of moments left me uncomfortable, and I will admit that I even peeked ahead to the end because I just needed to know that I could handle what would happen. (It had been an unusually tough week.)

I liked the connection that Maddie had to her family and the ways she tried to preserve those connections even while she was alone. It was so sweet that she had the dog with her, too. I really liked him and that they took care of each other.

There were a lot of suspenseful moments and some interesting political and social commentary often lurking between the lines. Those are all things I love in a book, so they only pulled me in more deeply into the story.

I often find stories with a solitary narrator to kind of drag on without other characters and dialog to break up the narrative, so I felt like telling this particular story in verse kept it feeling fast-paced and suspenseful.

If you enjoy more contemporary-feeling dystopian stories or novels in verse, definitely add ALONE to your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a few times.

Romance/Sexual Content
Maddie sees a group of men and wonders whether they would rescue her or attack her.

Spiritual Content
Maddie tries to pray and at one point writes an angry letter to God.

Violent Content
Maddie sees a man kill a kitten. Maddie learns to shoot a handgun for protection. A tornado rips through Maddie’s town. Lightning sparks a fire that destroys a neighborhood.

Drug Content
None.

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