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Review: Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye

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Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye cover shows the head and shoulders of a blonde girl with a wolf curled behind her head and one swooping in front of her.

Daughter of the Bone Forest (Witch Hall #1)
Jasmine Skye
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 27, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Daughter of the Bone Forest

Two girls reluctantly bound by fate must weather a dangerous courtship as a prophesied war grows ever closer in Jasmine Skye’s high-stakes, queernormative dark fantasy debut, DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST.

Rosy is a bone familiar, gifted with the power to shift into animals marked with exposed bone. She spends most of her days in the magical Bone Forest, caring for her feral grandmother and hiding her powers to avoid conscription by the Witch King’s army. Until the day that Princess Shaw, a witch known as Death’s Heir, visits the Forest. When Rosy saves Shaw’s life, the princess offers her the chance to attend the prestigious school, Witch Hall, as payment. Though Rosy is wary of Shaw’s intentions, she cannot pass up the opportunity to find the cure for her grandmother’s affliction.

But at Witch Hall, Rosy finds herself embroiled in political games she doesn’t understand. Shaw wants Rosy for her entourage, a partner to help lead the coming war. All Rosy wants is to stay out of trouble until she can graduate and save her grandmother, but she can’t deny her attraction to Shaw or the comfort Shaw’s magic gives her. Will Rosy give in to her destiny, or will the Bone Forest call her home once and for all?

My Review

I got totally lost in this book. It’s the first in a series, but I kept forgetting that as I read it. I loved both main characters– Rosy and Shaw. Rosy’s scenes are told in first person point of view, and Shaw’s are in third person, so I immediately felt closer to Rosy, which I think was the point. Shaw is so closed and carefully measured and controlled.

The romance arc in this one was honestly pretty perfect for me. I think a higher percentage of the girl/girl romances I’ve read have either had an insta-love vibe, and that’s really not my favorite kind of romance to read. This one is much more in the slow burn lane, which has (especially lately) been a favorite flavor of romance for me. So DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST knocked it out of the park for me as a reader in terms of its romance elements.

I also find the magic system really intriguing and different. There are magic users (witches) and shapeshifters (familiars) who often bond with one another for magic and life benefits. I can’t remember all the different magic classes, but I know there was bone magic, which the main characters use. There’s also flower magic and maybe ice magic?

Most of the story takes place at the magic school (Witch Hall) so the book also has a magic boarding school vibe to it, too. I see that more often in middle grade books, so it was really fun to get to read a young adult novel with that element for a change.

All in all, I would absolutely call this one a win for me. I really look forward to where the series goes. I’m already excited for the second book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
I don’t remember there being a lot of physical character descriptions. One character is nonbinary. Another is bigender. Some minor characters are in same-gender couples. The two major characters (both girls) enter a courting relationship with each other.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Kissing between two boys.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic of certain types. Other characters have the ability to shapeshift into one or more animal forms. Often, a witch (magic user) will bond with a familiar (shapeshifter), and both receive a power boost.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and battle violence. In one scene, men light a group of unarmed students and a young villager on fire.

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 DAUGHTER OF THE BONE FOREST in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price

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Manslaughter Park (Jane Austen Murder Mysteries #3)
Tirzah Price
HarperCollins
Published June 27, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Manslaughter Park

In this queer retelling of the classic novel and third book in Tirzah Price’s Jane Austen Murder Mystery series, Mansfield Park is the center of a deadly accident (or is it?). Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Aspiring artist Fanny Price is an unwelcome guest at her uncle Sir Thomas Bertram’s estate. It’s his affection for Fanny that’s keeping her from being forced out by her cousins Tom and Maria and nasty Aunt Norris, back to a home to which she never wants to return. But then Sir Thomas dies in a tragic accident inside his art emporium, and Fanny finds evidence of foul play that, if revealed, could further jeopardize her already precarious position.

Edmund, her best friend and secret crush, urges Fanny to keep quiet about her discovery, but Fanny can’t ignore the truth: a murderer is among them.

Determined to find the killer, Fanny’s pursuit for justice has her wading into the Bertram family business, uncovering blackmail, and brushing with London’s high society when Henry and Mary Crawford arrive at Mansfield Park with an audacious business proposal. But a surprising twist of fate—and the help of local legends Lizzie Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy—brings Fanny more complications than she ever expected and a life-altering realization about herself she never saw coming.

My Review

I’ve never read MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen, so I read this reimagining or story inspired by the original without much in terms of expectations or comparisons to the original. I read a brief plot summary online to orient myself in the story, but I’m not sure how much of it I really absorbed.

It seems like a lot of background and plot elements are different in this book from the original story– such as the Bertrams having a business buying and selling artwork. I liked that the book included some exploration of the business of being an artist or an art dealer. Since the original story focused on themes of morality and moral principles, I thought that exploring those in the context of art as a business was an interesting way to shape the story.

As with SENSE AND SECOND DEGREE MURDER, I really enjoyed the storytelling. I found this to be a pretty quick read and a fun one, too. I like that the author also brought some queer representation into the story, and I definitely enjoyed the cameo appearances of Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

All in all, I’d say this is an entertaining murder mystery and a great summer read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
The major characters are white. Fanny and a few minor characters are queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls and a boy and girl. Fanny also overhears two couples kissing– two boys and, later, a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Fanny witnesses her uncle tripping before a fatal fall down the stairs. She notices a puddle of blood on the floor afterward and blood smudged on his glasses. A man kidnaps a woman, ties her hands, and gags her after threatening to murder her.

Drug Content
Fanny’s father is an alcoholic. References to social drinking.

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 MANSLAUGHTER PARK in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

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The Killing Code
Ellie Marney
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published September 20, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Killing Code

A historical mystery about a girl who risks everything to track down a vicious serial killer, for fans of THE ENIGMA GAME and A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.

To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.

My Review

Every time I read a great historical novel, I feel like I end up saying I need to read more historical books. I loved that THE KILLING CODE explores another part of World War II and specifically what was happening in the United States during the war. I also loved that it focuses on the relationships between women.

Moya and Kit alternate telling us the story. A few scenes kind of zoom out and give us a more omniscient view, setting up the scene before returning to that close third-person viewpoint. I really liked both Kit and Moya, so I loved getting to see both their perspectives. The transitions heightened tension and some romantic suspense, too.

THE KILLING CODE is the first book I’ve ever read by Ellie Marney, and after reading it, I definitely want to read more. The historical setting felt immersive without being distracting, and the murder mystery had me hooked from that early chapter where Kit finds the girl’s body.

I loved that the girls use their codebreaking strategies as their approach to solving the murder. That connected both their identities as codebreakers as well as the historical and murder mystery story elements.

Also, each chapter of THE KILLING CODE begins with a quote about solving puzzles or codebreaking. Some of the quotes are from real codebreakers like Elizebeth Friedman. I thought the author cleverly used those quotes both in connecting the story to history and giving some teasing hints about the upcoming chapter.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. I definitely got caught up in the mystery and the high stakes race to find the serial killer before he strikes again.

Content Notes

Content warning for mentions of rape and attempted assault. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Point-of-view characters are white. Both are women who’ve had romantic relationships with women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions of rape. When Kit sees the body of a murdered girl, she realizes the girl has also been raped. No details. Some scenes show kissing between two girls. In one scene, a murdered threatens women, clearly intending to rape and kill them.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A man attacks women, using a knife to threaten and harm them. A serial killer has been murdering women in the DC area. One murder scene is described.

Drug Content
Moya smokes cigarettes. The girls drink alcohol together in Moya’s room and at a club and hotel party.

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 KILLING CODE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

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

Youngblood
Sasha Laurens
Razorbill
Published July 19, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Youngblood

For fans of VAMPIRE DIARIES and dark academia, two queer teen bloodsuckers at an elite vampire-only boarding school must go up against all of Vampirdom when they uncover a frightening conspiracy on campus.

Kat Finn and her mother can barely make ends meet living among humans. Like all vampires, they must drink Hema, an expensive synthetic blood substitute, to survive, as nearly all of humanity has been infected by a virus that’s fatal to vampires. Kat isn’t looking forward to an immortal life of barely scraping by, but when she learns she’s been accepted to the Harcote School, a prestigious prep school that’s secretly vampires-only, she knows her fortune is about to change.

Taylor Sanger has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she’s tired of its backward, conservative values—especially when it comes to sexuality, since she’s an out-and-proud lesbian. She only has to suffer through a two more years of Harcote before she’s free. But when she discovers her new roommate is Kat Finn, she’s horrified. Because she and Kat used to be best friends, a long time ago, and it didn’t end well.

When Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school’s archives, the two realize that there are deep secrets at Harcote—secrets that link them to the most powerful figures in Vampirdom and to the synthetic blood they all rely on.

My Review

Paranormal isn’t usually a go-to genre for me, but when I heard about YOUNGBLOOD, I kinda couldn’t resist. I have hardly kept up with current vampire books, so it’s possible some of the things that appealed most to me have been done in other places, but a lot of things in the description of the story felt pretty fresh and new to me.

I loved the idea that the vampires have developed a blood substitute and that because of a pandemic, it has become unsafe to feed on human blood. The changes that brought to the vampire culture and community and the way that’s explored in the story were things I’ve never seen done anywhere else.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a boarding school that’s 100% all vampires, either. I liked that element to the story, because it created room to really explore some of the vampire culture ideas that I thought made this book really cool.

Not only is it a vampire book set in a boarding school, it’s also part murder mystery. YOUNGBLOODS has lots of layers to explore, and I loved that as each chapter unfolded, those layers kept getting exposed, and I kept getting more and more drawn into the story.

In terms of characters, I liked Kat immediately. She’s so sweet, and really wants to find a way to have connections with her people. Taylor had to grow on me. At the beginning especially, she kind of came off like the super judgy, too cool for the cool kids type that just tends not to be a character I connect easily with. But as I got to see some of her more vulnerable moments and see her use her anger and her power for good, I grew to love her as much as I loved Kat.

On the whole, it took me a few chapters to really invest in YOUNGBLOODS, but once I did, I really enjoyed reading it. I think readers who like paranormal romance like THE FELL OF DARK by Caleb Roehrig will like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Taylor is a lesbian. Other characters have romantic relationships with girls. Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. In one scene, a girl is topless while kissing. References to sex between two girls. Kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Main characters are vampires and immortal. Vampires have the ability to glamour humans, which enchants them into doing whatever the vampire wants them to do.

Violent Content
Vampires feed on humans who are under a glamour and helpless. A girl tries to stop them and is knocked into a glass table. A girl discovers the body of a vampire.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol in a couple of scenes.

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 YOUNGBLOOD in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

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Bad Things Happen Here
Rebecca Barrow
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published June 28, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Bad Things Happen Here

I KILLED ZOE SPANOS meets THE CHEERLEADERS in this haunting mystery about an island town with a history of unsolved deaths—and a girl desperate to uncover the mystery behind it all.

Luca Laine Thomas lives on a cursed island. To the outside world, Parris is an exclusive, idyllic escape accessible only to the one percent. There’s nothing idyllic about its history, though, scattered with the unsolved deaths of young women—deaths Parris society happily ignores to maintain its polished veneer. But Luca can’t ignore them. Not when the curse that took them killed her best friend, Polly, three years ago. Not when she feels the curse lingering nearby, ready to take her next.

When Luca comes home to police cars outside her house, she knows the curse has visited once again. Except this time, it came for Whitney, her sister. Luca decides to take the investigation of Whitney’s death into her own hands. But as a shocking betrayal rocks Luca’s world, the identity Whitney’s killer isn’t the only truth Luca seeks. And by the time she finds what she’s looking for, Luca will come face to face with the curse she’s been running from her whole life.

My Review

I own a couple other books by Rebecca Barrow, but BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE is the first one I’ve ever read. Right away, I felt hooked into the story. The relationship between Luca and Whitney is so real. I loved the small town, closed circle feel of the group of friends they shared.

As Luca learns that everyone has been keeping secrets, my interest in the story only deepened. I kept coming up with my own theories of what happened and then hanging on as the story pivoted new directions. I couldn’t stop reading. Things happened so fast that I kept wanting to read one more chapter all the way until the very end.

I have thoughts about the end, but I don’t want to give anything away. I think I can safely say that the way it ended felt both true to the character and also not what I expected. It both closed the story and yet left me yearning for more in a good way.

I think it’s hard to tell a story from the perspective of a narrator like Luca, someone who’s grappling with so much grief and betrayal and trauma and not only keep them an engaging narrator but walk the balance between them doing things that feel totally in character but also give the reader the experience we need from a story– to feel like there’s some growth and conclusion. Rebecca Barrow does both and does it all beautifully. I loved this book and can’t wait to read other books she’s written.

I think readers who enjoyed WHITE RABBIT by Caleb Roehrig or LITTLE & LION by Brandy Colbert will want to read this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Luca is Black and Latinx. She’s also a lesbian and deals with some mental health issues.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. One scene briefly shows masturbation.

Spiritual Content
Luca believes there’s a curse on her island that’s causing girls to die.

Violent Content
References to sexual assault and murder. One murder happens on scene. Luca briefly describes seeing the bodies of two people after they were found murdered.

Drug Content
Luca drinks alcohol with her friends. References to smoking pot. Some characters have a history of using hard drugs.

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 BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

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

Home Field Advantage
Dahlia Adler
Wednesday Books
Published June 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Home Field Advantage

In this sweet and funny new f/f romance from the author of Cool for the Summer, a cheerleader and the school’s newest quarterback are playing to win, but might lose their hearts in the process.

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can’t stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.

Dahlia Adler’s HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a sparkling romance about fighting for what – or who – you truly want.

My Review

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is one of those books that every time I heard people talk about it, I couldn’t wait to read it. I’m not usually a big reader of football player/cheerleader romances, but I loved the concept of this one and its celebration of girls playing football.

The first chapter was a little bit rough for me because it’s really setting up how much Amber feels like she needs to become cheer captain the next year and why she’s so obsessed with that goal. As the story went forward, those early pages made a lot more sense, but I didn’t feel connected with her at the time I read that opening chapter. Once I got to know her and to see that even though she had very scripted goals and wants, she also had a lot of empathy and determination. Those things definitely made me fall in love with her.

As for Jack– I was a fan from minute one. Her passion, her fierceness, and even her guilt over the sacrifices her family made so she could have this one dream were so real and raw. Honestly, I couldn’t help rooting for her from the first minute to the last. I loved her so much.

My favorite part of the book was actually the part where Jack is on the field, the stakes are high, and she’s not at all sure she can get anyone on her team to come through for her. I feel like I read those pages on the literal edge of my seat, back straight, barely breathing as each play began. So, so good. I absolutely loved that scene (and the cheer immediately after the game, too…).

On the whole, I would say HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is a total win for me. I feel like if you read LGBTQ+ fiction, you’ve probably already heard of Dahlia Adler from her blog, but if you haven’t– you’ll definitely want to check out both the blog and the book!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Amber identifies as polysexual (attracted to more than one but not all genders). Jack identifies as a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. References to making out.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some instances of bullying and some homophobic statements. References to one character who was blackmailing and bribing another character because he was gay and closeted.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at parties. One of the football players died in a car accident while he was drunk driving.

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 HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE in exchange for my honest review.