Tag Archives: wedding

Review: Dragon’s Flight by Jessica Day George

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Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

Dragon Flight (Dragon Slippers #2)
Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published April 29, 2008

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About Dragon Flight

The second book in New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George’s charming, light-hearted fantasy series.

With the Dragon Wars over, Creel finds herself bored with life as a seamstress. Then word comes that a bordering country has been breeding dragons in preparation for an invasion. Never one to miss out on the action, Creel throws herself headlong into an adventure that will reunite her with Shardas, the king of the dragons, pit her against a vicious new dragon, and perhaps rekindle a friendship with Prince Luka.

Funny, heartfelt, and action-packed, new readers and returning fans alike will dive headlong into this exhilarating follow-up to Dragon Slippers.

My Review

I recently reread Dragon Slippers (though it was like a fresh read, since I remembered almost nothing from my original reading), and discovered that Creel and Shardas’s adventures continue in this and another book. Since I have access to the audiobooks through my library, and I needed something lighter to read over the summer, I decided to finish the series.

A lot of the characters from the first book reappear here in the second one. (Including one goofy monkey seller.) We also get to know the dragon characters more, and see the progression of Creel and Luka’s relationship.

What’s really interesting to me is that the cover art and copy age Creel down quite a bit. In the story, she is running her own business and preparing for her business partner’s wedding. I can’t remember if the text specifies Creel’s age, but I’d guess she’s probably fifteen or sixteen.

The writing feels very middle grade, though, so I think the book is marketed appropriately, it’s just interesting that the book description and cover age the story itself down a bit. For example, Creel isn’t just friends with Prince Luka– there’s definitely some romance happening there, though it stays very sweet and a small component of the story.

Readers who enjoy dragon books will find a lot to love here. The dragons play a bigger role in this book than in the first one and appear in a majority of the scenes. This is a sweet, fun series for upper middle grade readers or middle grade readers interested in stories with a little romance.

Readers who enjoyed Goose Girl by Shannon Hale should check out this series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
One prominent character speaks through sign language.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Creel’s best friend is engaged to be married.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are dragons. A few characters use alchemy, which operates like magic through potions or special objects.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some brief references to and scenes showing battle. Creel wants to punch more than one person in the face, but she wisely resists.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published June 8, 2021

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About We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This

Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response.

Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman.

Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher.

Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done.

A wedding harpist disillusioned with love and a hopeless romantic cater-waiter flirt and fight their way through a summer of weddings in this effervescent romantic comedy from the acclaimed author of TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW.

My Review

While I’m definitely not disillusioned about love, I felt like Quinn’s character really resonated with me. Her feelings about being trapped in the family business and being at a loss as to what her real passions are felt so real that sometimes I squirmed while reading (in a good way though). It was really fun reading a book about a romantic guy, too– I don’t see a lot of those, and I found Tareq absolutely charming.

I loved the way the story explored Quinn’s connection with music, though. I don’t know much about the harp, so I can’t speak to the technique, but I found the performances engrossing and believable. And the way Quinn’s journey with the harp guided her through other conflicts in her life was really cool. I loved that.

The romance was great, too– Quinn’s fears were relatable and the conflicts had me reading one more chapter long past my bedtime, and even peeking ahead a couple times. (What can I say, sometimes I just NEED to know what happens so I’m emotionally prepared.)

I think fans of Solomon’s other books will enjoy this one a lot, and readers looking for a summer romance with a bit of spice should definitely add this to their reading lists.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Quinn and her family are Jewish. Tareq and his family are Muslim.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some references to sex and explicit sexual content between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some references to Jewish and Muslim beliefs and traditions.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Some scenes show teens drinking alcohol.

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 WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Misfit in Love by S. K. Ali

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Misfit in Love
S. K. Ali
Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads
Published May 25, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Misfit in Love

Janna Yusuf is so excited for the weekend: her brother Muhammad’s getting married, and she’s reuniting with her mom, whom she’s missed the whole summer.

And Nuah’s arriving for the weekend too.

Sweet, constant Nuah.

The last time she saw him, Janna wasn’t ready to reciprocate his feelings for her. But things are different now. She’s finished high school, ready for college…and ready for Nuah.

It’s time for Janna’s (carefully planned) summer of love to begin—starting right at the wedding.

But it wouldn’t be a wedding if everything went according to plan. Muhammad’s party choices aren’t in line with his fiancée’s taste at all, Janna’s dad is acting strange, and her mom is spending more time with an old friend (and maybe love interest?) than Janna.

And Nuah’s treating her differently.

Just when things couldn’t get more complicated, two newcomers—the dreamy Haytham and brooding Layth—have Janna more confused than ever about what her misfit heart really wants.

Janna’s summer of love is turning out to be super crowded and painfully unpredictable.

In this fun and fresh sequel to SAINTS AND MISFITS, Janna hopes her brother’s wedding will be the perfect start to her own summer of love, but attractive new arrivals have her more confused than ever.

My Review

Janna is hilarious and awkward and completely adorable. I love her. Every time I sat down to read for a few minutes, I got pulled straight into this story and its big, quirky family and all the drama of getting ready for the wedding. I love the way Janna has this community of women surrounding her and building her up. She also spends some time asking herself really hard questions about love and forgiveness, and I love that the story pursued those threads, too. It was fun getting to revisit some of my favorite characters from SAINTS AND MISFITS and adding some new characters to the mix.

I think one of the reasons I enjoy faith-positive stories like this one so much is that I feel like I can really easily connect with a character whose faith is deeply important to them. I guess I just feel like I really connect with characters whose faith drives a lot of their everyday decisions and motivates them to try to be a better person to others. I’m glad to see faith-positive stories in young adult literature.

I think fans of HENNA WARS by Adiba Jaigirdar or TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW by Rachel Lynn Solomon will enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Janna and many of her friends and family members are Muslim. A few minor characters are Black. Janna’s dad is Indian and her mom is Egyptian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Janna has feelings for a boy, but doesn’t pursue physical contact with him because of her faith. She believes that dating should be focused on preparing for marriage and chaperoned by a companion.

Spiritual Content
Scenes show Janna and others rising early to pray and praying together at other times in the day. Janna’s faith governs her behavior toward boys, too. She covers her hair with a hijab. She wears a burkini to swim. She doesn’t have physical contact with boys. She also edits a question and answer page on her mosque’s website, and browses some of those questions and answers in one scene of the story. Some other precepts of Islam come up, like the importance of caring for the environment and the value of loving others.

Violent Content
In SAINTS AND MISFITS, Janna was assaulted by a family friend. She mentions the assault a couple of times, but it’s not described in any detail.

Janna also confronts a loved one about anti-Black behavior and wrestles with how to handle having a relationship with that person going forward.

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 MISFIT IN LOVE in exchange for my honest review.