Tag Archives: war

Review: Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros

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Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros cover shows a golem made of stone whose face is partly that of a teenage girl.

Wrath Becomes Her
Aden Polydoros
Inkyard Press
Published October 10, 2023

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About Wrath Becomes Her

FRANKENSTEIN meets INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live. 

My Review

This is the first book by Aden Polydoros that I’ve read. I started BONE WEAVER, but got pulled away from the book before I could finish it. I knew from that that I liked the writing style, so I felt pretty confident that I would like this book– and I did!

The subject is pretty dark, and the story takes place in winter in Lithuania, so it’s freezing cold in the middle of a war in which the Jews aren’t guaranteed to be safe even from the soldiers fighting against the Germans.

Vera’s exploration of her identity and her desperation to understand humanity reminded me a lot of the book FRANKENSTEIN. She knows she’s other, but she has such deep human impulses and desires, and at first, she idolizes humans. The more she sees war and how people treat one another, the less enamored she is with people.

I thought the story might follow a well-established pattern in which the idea of personhood is explored and romance happens between a created being and a human. There are some hints of romance, especially on Vera’s side, but the story doesn’t center around romantic love.

I really liked the ending of the book. It wasn’t simple, but it felt right to me. I think readers who enjoyed THIS REBEL HEART by Katherine Locke will like this one, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to celebrating Shabbos. References to Jewish folklore, history, and religious texts.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Warfare. References to torture. Graphic descriptions of injuries sustained in battles.

Drug Content
A soldier drinks Vodka from a flask and uses it to wash a wound.

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 WRATH BECOMES HER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Don’t Look Back by Achut Deng and Keely Hutton

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

Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey to America
Achut Deng and Keely Hutton
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

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About Don’t Look Back

In this propulsive memoir from Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, inspired by a harrowing New York Times article, Don’t Look Back tells a powerful story showing both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity, and the power of not giving up.

I want life.

After a deadly attack in South Sudan left six-year-old Achut Deng without a family, she lived in refugee camps for ten years, until a refugee relocation program gave her the opportunity to move to the United States. When asked why she should be given a chance to leave the camp, Achut simply told the I want life.

But the chance at starting a new life in a new country came with a different set of challenges. Some of them equally deadly. Taught by the strong women in her life not to look back, Achut kept moving forward, overcoming one obstacle after another, facing each day with hope and faith in her future. Yet, just as Achut began to think of the US as her home, a tie to her old life resurfaced, and for the first time, she had no choice but to remember her past.

My Review

As I read this book, I found myself thinking about the timeline of the author’s life. What was I likely doing while she fled for her life from soldiers intent on killing everyone in her village? How did I spend my time during the years she lived in the refugee camp in Kenya? It really made me think about how sheltered and safe my life has been and how far that is from the experience so many other people have in their childhoods and lives.

I think the authors did an excellent job describing a child’s view of the horrors of war and of the endless pressure of hunger and waiting during her life in the refugee camp. In the scene in which Achut hides in her closet, contemplating ending her life, the intensity of her hopelessness and feelings of being trapped were absolutely gripping.

All in all, it’s an excellent memoir that delivers a personal account of a child’s life during the war in Sudan, life in a refugee camp, and eventual immigration to the United States. Readers who enjoyed OVER A THOUSAND HILLS I WALK WITH YOU by Hanna Jensen or FINDING REFUGE by Victorya Krouse will want to read this powerful, true account.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Achut and her family are Sudanese. She and some of her family members live as refugees in a camp in Kenya for years before immigrating to the United States.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to women being assaulted by soldiers in villages and in the refugee camp. Later, an older boy sexually abuses Achut. Details are limited and focus on the horror and helplessness Achut feels.

Spiritual Content
Achut’s family have all been given Christian names, which they’re told to use. She never feels like her name, Rachel, suits her and prefers her family name, Achut, instead.

Violent Content
Soldiers fire guns at fleeing civilians, killing many. Soldiers fire rifles into people’s homes, killing some hiding there. In the refugee camp, Achut faces physical abuse by her guardians as well as starvation from rations being withheld. Diseases spread through the camp, killing many. Parasites infect Achut and others and must be pulled from wounds in their legs and feet. A poisonous snake bites a girl, causing her leg to swell painfully. Men who have been caught assaulting women are publicly punished by having their heads shaved roughly, so that they have deep cuts on their scalps. Officials rub salt into the wounds.

Drug Content
Achut’s cousin begins getting drunk to avoid his grief and anger. She worries this behavior will ultimately kill 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 DON’T LOOK BACK in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Deadlands: Trapped by Skye Melki-Wegner

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The Deadlands: Trapped (The Deadlands #2)
Sky Melki-Wegner
Henry Holt & Co.
Published October 3, 2023

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About The Deadlands: Trapped

Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in The Deadlands: Trapped, the second book of this action-adventure series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts ― and former enemies ― who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.

As bloody battle rages on between the two surviving dinosaur kingdoms, Eleri and his fellow outcasts, newly exiled from their herds, are searching for evidence to prove a mass conspiracy―a conniving cabal of carnivores have manipulated the herbivore kingdoms into war, so they can feast on the slain. But after their temporary home is discovered by a vengeful pack of raptors, the exiles must flee and soon find themselves trapped inside the Fire Peak: the volcanic heart of the dreaded Carrion Kingdom.

Before they have a chance to escape, they discover a cavern of imprisoned herbivores, who are being picked apart―literally―one by one. Can the outcasts stage an elaborate heist to free the prisoners and gather proof of the Carrion Kingdom’s vicious plans in one fell swoop?

My Review

I feel like I’ve been seeing this series everywhere, and I’m not at all surprised. I had so much fun reading it. The story follows both Zyre (a small flying dinosaur) and Eleri (a small digging dinosaur) as they lead their herd toward a rumored sanctuary and an opportunity to sabotage the carnivorous dinosaurs’ plans.

Because Zyre was once hired to betray a member of the group, she feels she needs to earn the herd’s trust, and she goes to great lengths to do so. She’s tender and kind, but also very quick on her feet, and brave in the face of danger to her friends.

Eleri wrestles with unresolved issues between him and his brother. He doubts his ability to lead and to be brave and rushes into dangerous situations, trying to prove his worth to himself.

I’m not sure if you could read this one without having read the first book. There are places in the story that kind of bring readers up to speed, but there are also a lot of terms and references that aren’t fully explained in this book that would make sense if you’d read the first one.

I think readers who enjoy books about animals, such as the Warriors books, will love these dinosaur stories.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are herbivore dinosaurs.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One dinosaur tries to convince others that to let carnivores eat them means they’ll “ascend” to a golden plane.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Mentions of warfare. In one scene, raptors tear another carnivore dinosaur apart.

Drug Content
Eleri collects thorns that can tranquilize dinosaurs.

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 DEADLANDS: TRAPPED in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake

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Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1)
Kendare Blake
Quill Tree Books
Published September 19, 2023

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About Champion of Fate

Behind every great hero is an Aristene.

Aristene are mythical female warriors, part of a legendary order. Though heroes might be immortalized in stories, it’s the Aristene who guide them to victory. They are the Heromakers.

Ever since she was an orphan taken in by the order, Reed has wanted to be an Aristene. Now, as an initiate, just one challenge stands in her way: she must shepherd her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and Reed will take her place beside her sisters. Fail, and she’ll be cast from the only home she’s ever known.

Nothing is going to stop Reed–until she meets her hero. Hestion is fiery and infuriating, but what begins as an alliance becomes more, and as secrets of the order come to light Reed begins to understand what becoming an Aristene may truly cost. Battle looming, she must choose: the order and the life she had planned, or Hestion, and the one she never expected.

My Review

I haven’t read anything by Kendare Blake in a really long time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I loved the concept. It hints at star-crossed lovers and magic and secrets, all things I love in a book.

And, boy, did it deliver those things. I loved the pacing of the romance between Reed and Hestion. I constantly wanted more for them, but loved every minute of their scenes together. The minor characters are amazing, from Reed’s often-absent mentor to her mentor’s lover and former Aristene to Reed’s fellow initiate. I liked that the order was made up of so many different kinds of women and that made for lots of different kinds of relationships between them. That was pretty cool.

The stakes heightened pretty quickly in the second half of the book especially. I felt like I flew through that last quarter with my breath held, wondering how things were going to turn out.

At the end of it all, I find the only thing I’m disappointed about is having to wait until the next book is released to know what happens next!

I think readers who enjoy epic hero stories– maybe things in the vein of Greek myth retellings or stories about paladins or spiritual warriors– will really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Reed has tanned skin. Other characters are described as having darker skin. Two women are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

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

Spiritual Content
Reed and the other members of the Aristenes serve the goddess of glory. Other nations serve other gods. A prophet of all gods was recently murdered. One scene shows a man praying at the temple of the prophet. Reed participates in several rituals as part of her initiation into the Aristenes. One involves drinking blood to receive magic. Another involves drinking water from a well that reveals her path.

Violent Content
Lots of battle scenes and descriptions of battle. A man holds onto the decomposing head of a corpse, using it as a weapon.

Drug Content
Several scenes show celebratory drinking. A few characters get drunk and say or do things they regret later.

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 CHAMPION OF FATE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki-Wegner

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The Deadlands: Hunted (The Deadlands #1)
Skye Melki-Wegner
Henry Holt & Co.
Published April 4, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Deadlands: Hunted

Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts ― and former enemies ― who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.

“My favorite middle grade book of the year.” ― New York Times -bestselling author Amie Kaufman

Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea.

When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived . . . and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war.

As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier. Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies―including the enemy soldier he saved―to avoid becoming prey.

When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator. . . and a secret plot that might destroy them all.

My Review

This is such a clever book! I super enjoyed the fact that all the main characters are dinosaurs. It was like WARRIORS, but all dinos. The setup of the conflicts and lore about the herds, alliances, and kingdoms was woven into the story and introduced at a nice pace.

The story follows both Eleri, an oryctodromeus, and Zyre, an anurognathid, though more chapters are told from Eleri’s point of view. I really enjoyed both of them as characters. Zyre observes silently, trying to make some hard moral choices and needing to survive as a small animal.

Eleri is a tunneling dinosaur who longs to be a storyteller. He believes that his herd doesn’t love or value him because he isn’t a gifted warrior. What it takes him a long time to realize, though, is that he is a gifted strategist. I loved the way he interacted with the other characters, especially Tortha, the triceratops, and Sorielle, the ankylosaur. Tortha focuses on her identity as a warrior, and Sorielle has a mind for math, so altogether, they make a great team.

The beginning pages have a list of the types of dinosaurs, descriptions of them, and what alliances they’re part of, if any. I still had to do an image search for some of them because I wasn’t sure what they looked like. I kind of wish there had been line drawings of each type or something included with the descriptions. But thankfully, a quick internet search gave me what I was looking for.

All in all, I thought this book was really nicely done. I’ve got a review copy of the second book, so I’ll be reading that one pretty soon, and I’m looking forward to it! Readers who enjoy books featuring animals as main characters should definitely check out this series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
All characters are dinosaurs.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The Sauropods (long-necked dinos) have a kind of spirituality and speak in a stilted way. They are storytellers, and the lore about them is that they used their long necks and tails to sweep stars across the skies.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to battle scenes. Some brief descriptions of predators or rivals attacking the main characters. The descriptions are not overly graphic.

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 DEADLANDS: HUNTED in exchange for my honest review.

Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu by Erika Lewis

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

Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu (Academy for the Unbreakable Arts #2)
Erika Lewis
Starscape
Published July 25, 2023

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About Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu

Kelcie Murphy is back in another action-packed middle grade adventure, Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu, the second book in Erika Lewis’s magical series infused with Celtic mythology, The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts.

It’s hard having a father who’s an infamous traitor. It’s even harder having a mother who’s an omen of doom.

After a summer away, Kelcie Murphy is excited to be back at the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. But she and her friends have barely settled in when they receive a visit from her mother―the war goddess, Nemain―with a warning of coming calamity.

The Heart of Danu, the legendary source of all light and warmth in the Lands of Summer, is going to be stolen. And only Kelcie and her mates can stop it. As they travel with the rest of the students to Summer City to take part in the glorious Ascension Ceremony, Kelcie has no time for the military parade, the lavish ball, or even to visit her she’s determined to protect the Heart and her new home.

But the Lands of Summer are still not a welcoming place for Kelcie. When disaster strikes, the Queen, the High Guard, and even some of her schoolmates suspect Kelcie is to blame.

As the world is plunged into darkness, Kelcie will have to does she keep fighting for a place that may always see her as a traitor’s daughter, or for a future greater than the war to come.

My Review

I’ve been curious about this book since I first heard about it earlier this year. Books about a magical school can be a lot of fun to read, so it was exciting getting to read a new one. I liked the playfulness of some of the magic elements and tricky weapons.

The story is told from two points of view. First, there’s Kelcie, who recently saved her people from a cursed eye. She returns to school for another term only to learn of a new threat to the Land of Summer. Alternately, the story follows Lexis, the leader of a warrior group from the Land of Winter, whose group is tasked with infiltrating Summer as spies.

Of course, the two sides meet and discover that not all the terrible things they’ve believed about one another are true. But with their people caught in a war without a known cause, peace seems impossible. I liked the way that Kelcie and Lexis’s relationships develop and change through the course of the story.

Though it’s a story about war, there are lots of lighthearted, cute, or silly moments between the characters. At over 400 pages, it’s a bigger book. Lots of things happen in each chapter, but some readers might find the length challenging. Fans of books about magical schools or fantasy inspired by Irish folklore will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Kelcie and some other characters are white. Lexis is described as having dark brown skin and curly hair. Niall has only one hand. Many of the magical elements or lore are inspired by Irish or Welsh folklore. Two minor characters, both men, are married.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to a first kiss. A boy and girl hold hands briefly.

Spiritual Content
Kelcie, Brona, and Jack are cousins on their mothers’ sides. Their mothers are sister goddesses. Most characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Battle scenes and references to torture. Kelcie’s clan is required to live in a restricted area filled with dangerous monsters and experiences prejudice in the rest of the realm.

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 KELCIE MURPHY AND THE HUNT FOR THE HEART OF DANU in exchange for my honest review.