Lauren

I read Out of the Silent Planet for my masters course on YA literature. While this is considered a YA classic, I would argue it’s really more current day New Adult/Adult. There is nothing wrong with the content for YA readers, but YA books are typically about characters learning their place in the world as well as feature characters in the YA age range, and this book really isn’t about either of those (the first idea could be argued, but I will get to that). Again, I do think it is totally appropriate for YA audiences, but due to the writing style, I think it’s best suited for 16 plus (upper YA - Adult). There’s been some debate over this being a YA book, and I can see why since it can be a little dense at times. At the same time, the messaging is more or less handed to you with little to interpret.

All that’s to be said, if you’re someone who got into Project Hail Mary and you’re looking for a similar story, this is it. This book was written by C.S. Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia amongst other famous works) in the 1930s (and while it’s not the worst from this era, do be warned that sexism, racism, and ableism do exist in this novel - regardless of era written, this does factor greatly into my rating).

The beginning starts off pretty dark, it ends up being a story about communication, misunderstanding, and (ironically) humanity. While Ransom surely does learn about his place and role in the world, the scope of this story is much larger.

Like much of his works seem to have, there are themes of religion (especially around Christianity), but while I have not read his Narnia series it does not sound as though it is as distracting or blatant as that series. I think the book can be explored with or without an interest in religion. He also seems to have quite a lot to say about humanity. I do believe that ties in with the religion piece, but if you ignore that, I actually think there can be a really interesting discussion around what makes people of earth “twisted.” (That is not to say religion must be removed from the discussion, but rather I am arguing that it needn’t be a key part for a discussion to take place, depending on the beliefs of those involved).

I do think it is interesting that it is book 1 in a trilogy because I really cannot see where else it would go. I’m unsure if I will continue. The writing was good and the story interesting, but I’m happy where things were left.

Note: I Read this for Masters Program

Forever is about a coming of age whirlwind romance between high school seniors Michael and Katherine. It follows the pair as they explore many of the ups and downs of a first relationship. This entire review will have spoilers.

I think it’s important to note this book was published in the 70s, so things are very different today. That being said, I do think there are some good messages in the book. Sex is not seen as a bad thing in the book, though it also does not shy away from the fact it can lead to pregnancy or STDs. I really liked how open Katherine and her mom and grandma were about sex. I also appreciated the discussions around options for contraceptives with doctors, though it was very surface level and I do wish it was more through.

I know sex scenes are pretty common today, but considering this is a book marketed for YA readers, I was pretty surprised at the multiple explicit scenes. I personally believe there is nothing wrong with sex scenes in YA novels as many YA readers are at the age where they are exploring such things, but I had not expected it from this book.

All that to be said, there are some major red flags this book does not discuss. First and foremost, Michael was the worst. He kind of reminded me of one of my exs, so relatable, I guess, but we weren’t supposed to hate him. Yet he tried to pressure Katherine into sex multiple times and got moody the few times she didn’t want to do anything. Then, when things end, he immediately accuses her of cheating and throws in her face that he had been cheating on her the whole time they were apart for their summer jobs (it is never confirmed or denied if he did or if he was just trying to hurt her, but gross behavior either way). Katherine’s infatuation with Theo and the implication she might start seeing him at the end also left me feeling icky.

Also, despite some praise for her mom, I didn’t love everything about Katherine’s parents. Her dad gave weird vibes, and I didn’t love them forcing her into a job. I understand why, but it still was kind of awful. And then calling her to tell her that her grandpa died but she couldn’t come home??? Unhinged behavior. Either tell her and let her home, or don’t tell her until camp is over. Pick one.

The plot line with the friend’s suicide attempt was abrupt and unnecessary as was the other friend (friend’s cousin??) having a baby. Not to mention the weird fatphobia throughout the book for no reason??

The Bone Door is one of those books that you enter knowing nothing, much of it seems odd and nonsensical, yet somehow it all comes together at the end. I will be honest, during the first 2-4 chapters I thought it was likely I would DNF. The writing style was good, but since I don’t read synopsis often, I did not realize the story is told through the lends of children, and I do not typically like that sort of story. However, I am so glad I continued to read this book.

As I said, while the story is intentionally confusing and you begin with no information (as does the MC) it is not hard to follow. White does a nice job dropping small hints and world building as you go, and each character slowly earns their own backstory. At the start of this book I did not think I would feel so connected to the characters, but Hop won me over. I also did not expect to cry (it’s been many books since one tugged at my heart enough to produce strong enough of an emotion) but towards the end it got me.

I suggest this book for people who are willing to give it a few chapters to get into it, people who enjoy slow world building, and those who can simply be along for the ride until reveals are made.

I look forward to reading more of White’s works.

I do think it is imperative to look at trigger warnings for this book, especially if you have any around children. I’ll list a few of these majors ones I noticed below, but since I do not experience any of these, it is likely I’ve missed many.

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Trigger warnings:

- Spiders/bugs

- Death

- Child neglect

- Child abuse

- Child mutilation

- Violence

- Grief

- Confinement

- Emotional Isolation

- Sexual assault (NOT on page, but mentioned & alluded to)

- Abortion (alluded to)

Honestly, I don’t have much to say on this one. I was not in love with the series after book 1, but I got the first 3 books as a gift so I wanted to try at least that many. Book 1 was okay, but by no the FMC has had little to not character growth, I don’t even want to count how many times the word “perv” was used, and both MMCs are walking red flags from day 1. The writing did not age particularly well, and while the attempts at diversity is a plus, this series reads extraordinary juvenile, yet plays on the boarder of explicit scenes (it’s closed door, but there are several mentions of getting undressed for sexual reasons). Even when I was in high school this would have been written too young. I’m really not sure why the target audience is.

This is a story that I’ve felt the need to sit and reflect on. Upon first glance it reads like a horror/thriller, but thinking on the events, it can be difficult to discern what exactly happened. I love an unreliable narrator when done well, and this does fit that well.

I enjoyed the themes of grief, identity, heritage, and social perception. In such a short page count, it did tackle all of those things well.

However, at the same time my main compliant about this book is I wish it was longer. I could have used another 25-50 pages getting the rhythm of this book. The ending felt abrupt. I do love an open-ended ending, but because of how quickly it ended, I feel like I don’t have enough to really theory craft off of, which is what I enjoy from ambiguous endings.

If someone told me that I would pick up a Veronica Roth novella in 2024 and love it, I wouldn’t have believed it. I most certainly would not have believed it if someone told me I was going to excitedly fall into a new duology written by her. This is no shade to Roth, but even at its height, I didn’t love Divergent (though I was still a fan). Roth is evidence that it is important to give author’s second chances.

Focusing now on Seek the Traitor’s Son, I was admit it was not perfect. However, I had fun with it (as much fun as you can have with this sort of story). It felt nostalgic (and boy am I glad it is a true dystopia with a subplot of romance…well, more than a subplot but it certainly is not the main plot). I had not expected to have more POVs outside of the MFC and MMC, but I’m so glad for it because the added POV did bring something to the story.

The most notable strength of this story are the characters. Even the unlikable ones and the ones that made choices I did not agree with, they felt real and I could clearly see their motivations. I know I praised Roth’s growth, but if you like some of her typical plot points, they will be found here (I.e. a tormented man dealing with trauma & a strong FMC overcoming personal and societal hurtles)

Although this book certainly can be classified as sci-fi, don’t let that intimidate you if you’re not typically a sci-fi reader. It is low sci-fi. Yes, there are ships and such, but you don’t need to follow any hard science.

**I was also pleasantly surprised with the bi representation**

All that to be said, it isn’t a five star because I was waiting for more from the world. This is a duology, so I’m fully expecting to get what I was looking for in book two. We were given bits and pieces of world building and some hints as to what is to come, so I am hopeful book 2 will be that five star. The other reason I have not rated it higher is because of the romance. I actually really loved both the MMC and FMC, but the romance seemed to develop very quickly. I understand there are oaths and prophecies at play, but it doesn’t seem like those things would force feelings to catch particularly quickly, so I would have liked a few more scenes to really see them falling for each other.

Doll Bones is a Middle Grade horror novel following a trio of friends as they enter an adventure to put “the queen” to rest and, hopefully, save their friendship.

For anyone who is unaware, Middle Grade novels typically involve a protagonist realizing the world is much larger than they may have initially realized. This book does that well through a character named Zach, who learns that family is complicated, friendship takes effort, and maybe adventure is needed regardless of the judgment of others.

Personally, I thought it was a great balance of spooky atmosphere without being scary. As with all Middle Grade, I do think the maturity of the reader will impact the experience. The kids in this story make some decisions that are not bad, but not ones that any parents would want their children to take. A more mature reader will go into the story and understand this, but a less mature middle schooler may not.

I thought Zach was an overall relatable and sweet kid, and between the three friends I think most readers will be able to see themselves. One of the kids has a complicated relationship with their father, one lives with her grandma after losing her parents, and the other was a strong willed “weird girl” that needs the approval of no one except her friends.

On the surface, Yesteryear is a debut novel about Natalie, a woman who partakes in the tradwife persona online while having a team behind the curtains making her social media boom possible, and what it may be like to truly live during the time she tries to encapsulate online. This story is also about womanhood, media perception, real vs fake identity, religious trauma, and more. I can’t say this was a fun time, but I can say I will be thinking about this for a long while. While it was not perfect (the pacing in the middle was pretty slow for how fast it wrapped up), I’m very impressed that this is a debut novel and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for anything else Burke decides to write (and perhaps I’ll need to check out her podcast). This story features a full cast of unlikable characters (literally no one) and the perspective of one of the most unreliable characters I’ve read in a long time. Truly, I’m still thinking through some of the things I’ve read and I’m trying to decide what occurred (this was an intention choice and it does make me want to reread it. Personally, I love an unreliable narrator, but I can see some people not enjoying this book because of that. I also appreciated that the writing style was both readable and very intentional. There were very few things I did not like about this book. The pacing was a bit of a hurdle for me. This book is not any longer than what I typically read, but it took me significantly longer to get through it due to the off pacing. While I love characterization, I felt we were given a few too many scenes to help the reader understand how a character (partially Natalie) behaves or thinks. I wish some of it was pared down because it resulted in a lot of nothing happening for a while. I also wanted more time in the past timeline. While we needed the present timeline, we spent too much time there for me.

Before I get into my more spoilery thoughts, I think think book requires a few specific trigger warnings: (I’m sure I missed some) Misogyny (external and internalized) Slut shaming Sexual assault Physical assault Depression childbirth Child loss Miscarriage Abuse (physical, emotional, child) Neglect Religious bigotry Homophobia Animal death infidelity

Spoiler Section Below . . . . . . . . . . Honestly, I felt kind of dumb I didnt figure out what was happening. The clues were all there, but I somehow missed it. I really like how Burke left the language in the “1800s” modern. While reading it I found it a little jolting, but now knowing that they were not in the past, it felt like a well developed clue. I also thought it was so interesting that everyone around Natalie said she was awful and and mean (and she was internally), but then towards the end she says her mean thoughts out loud, but it’s still in italics and not quotes, so I’m curious how much of that stuff was said out loud. Her old roommate and her mom called her out for being mean, so I’m guessing at least some of it?? I do wish we know what happened with Caleb, her husband. In this way, the ending fell a little flat. I don’t need things to be tied up with a bow, but I do find him to be even worse than her. I don’t think Natalie was ever a good person, but she certainly was suffering from postpartum depression and never received the proper support or treatment and was very unwell. Meanwhile her husband is happy to do nothing, drug her, was consciously and willfully neglecting their children, and did not provide his wife proper medical treatment when her foot became mangled. I’m not giving Natalie a pass, but the story does nothing to either tell us he was held accountable for his part in the abuse, nor does it give any kind of messaging about how men are rarely held accountable for the same crimes as women (the story touches on the latter once, but not in regards to what happens with Caleb). I also don’t know what to think of the story line with Shannon. In one breath she says Caleb is smarter than he seems and in the next she says she would be too smart to have his kids, so which is it? I also don’t know what to think about the sexual assault claims because it didn’t seem that way from the book, but Natalie is not exactly reliable. Still, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of Natalie acting out this way in some kind of suppressed desire (it’s kind of a harmful concept and I don’t think that’s was this author’s intentions considering how the rest of the book was written), so I’m choosing to believe Shannon is also unreliable as well.

A Forbidden Alchemy takes place in a world in which Idium is everything. Without those with power risk losing it, and those without it need access or risk remaining in the same disenfranchised lives they and their family lines have suffered for generations. It attempts to ask, what happens when a girl from a poor mining town gets accepted into the elite’s lifestyle? I would say the first 60% of this book is honestly a fun, stereotypical romantasy. It is odd calling people fighting for their rights fun, but it is what it is. You get the brooding guy, the strong woman, the lovable cast of characters. If you are someone who typically loves any romantasy you pick up, this is probably going to be a great book for you. For me, however, it fell flat. I am pretty particular about my romantasy, and I have learned I prefer romantic fantasy over romantasy, but there are a few that break that rule, so I have this one a try. Like I said, I didn’t take it too seriously, but I have having fun for the first 60% (I’m guesstimating). There is a twist around that point, however, that completely broke my trust in the author. I will not say who the twist involves, but there are two POVs in this book, and one of the POVs has a pretty significant reveal at this point, and it didn’t feel good. I love an unreliable narrators, but this was not that. Instead, this character had a huge secret they were keeping, but not once before the reveal did they think about this secret or worry someone might find out or worry that if anyone did know if they may reveal it. It is potentially a life or death level secret. Personally, I do not believe a character would not be internally stressed about this situation, and when authors write twists this way, it breaks my trust because now I feel as though there is no point in following the story, because twists can come out of nowhere for no reason at all other than plot convenience. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine. Another complaint I have is some of their reactions seem a little off. I understand being blinded by duty, or love, or whatever value you hold highest, but there were moments that should have been met with larger reactions instead of instant forgiveness considering the types of people this book follows. I was also pretty disappointed by the synopsis. I almost with this was book 2. The synopsis promises a story about a girl who is accepted to an important school and see a montage of her time there. I would have loved to see her grow up there. See her become immersed in this new and unfamiliar culture. I would have loved to live in it for a while and get a solid grasp on the magic system. Then book 2 could have been this book. There was nothing egregiously wrong with this book. Nothing glaring offensive or bad. It had some interesting things to say about political and social power that I would have liked to be explored more. It was truly a typical romantasy that I had fine with for the most part, but every now and then found this that I did not like. I am curious where book 2 will go, so I’m likely to continue.

Note: I did not consider this in my review, but the narrator for Nina was a little tough to listen to. She would be totally normal and would be doing a good performance, but then she would make her voice kind of whining sounding when trying to show desperation? I have a pretty low audiobook ick tolerance, so this may not bother anyone, but I thought it was worth noting.