Lauren

Monsters and Mainframes starts off with a Demeter Airship that is used for transportation between planets, but during one such trip something goes terribly wrong. What follows is very “monster of the week” style, but slowly each new event becomes connected in an odd story about supernatural creatures and AI machines.

It really liked parts of this story and really disliked parts. As always, I’ll start with what I liked. Demeter and Steward were everything. Honestly? I wish the other POVs were either cut or used less often because they were the only POVs I consistently looked forward to. I liked watching them learn and grow and adapt. I also liked the idea of efficiency dropping during periods of anxiety or sadness because, honestly, same. I thought most of the pacing of the book was well done and most of the characters had believable motivations (for this setting at least).

Unfortunately, I think a big part of my problem with this book was that read probably 60%-70% via audiobook. This experience taught me I don’t love when audiobooks have too many narrators. For starts, because each has a different voice, they voice the same characters differently from each other, which I found jarring. In particular, I really couldn’t stand Frank’s narrator. Im not positive which person narrated them, but I know I’ve heard their voice before, and the way they voice characters feels a little dramatic and whiny. While this isn’t a problem with the book itself, it did greatly impact my enjoyment.

However, that is not the only thing I didn’t love. Again, I wish we had less POVs. I just didn’t need so many because, frankly, I didn’t care about the thoughts of characters introduced later in the book. I also did not like the ending. It felt drawn out. This also relates to the many POVs as I didn’t need to get updated by all who remained. It felt a little forced. Lastly, there were times it felt like the book was going to make commentary on personhood and sentience, but I personally never felt like we got there.

Don’t get me wrong, this book was good and worth picking up. I enjoyed most of it and it was very different from other books I have read.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower follows a stereotypical princess locked away in a tower that princes must fight their way through in order to claim the princess and the coveted sword…except the hardest part of the tower is on the ground floor and it seems none can reach the princess or the sword. When Floralinda is joined by Cobweb, a fairy who cannot get the jobs they truly desire, they begrudgingly begin to find a way out of the tower together.

This book was humorous from start to finish. Floralinda is described as clueless and unlearned due to being a princess. Cobweb is snarky and self-serving. Neither character is particularly kind to the other, though somehow, their dynamic works to make them a compelling duo that in light of everything you cannot help but root for. While parts of this book are certainly gory, if you’ve read Muir’s other works (such as the Locked Tomb series) this one is significantly less so, and even during those gorier and darker times there is humor to off set it.

While Floralinda and Cobweb were both interesting characters, I think the narrator is my favorite. We are told this story as if it was a story tale, so the narrator is removed, oftentimes telling the reader that we must excuse Floralinda from ABC because of XYZ. The narrator made the story feel like an adult fairytale. It added a sort of fun and whimsy.

While this story was short, and while I enjoyed it throughly, it did become a touch repetitive. There is a central disagreement between Floralinda and Cobweb, and while I understand why this disagreement would persist, it was brought up fairly often. Also, since the story is about escaping a 40 story tower, obviously that will be repetitive as well. Muir does pretty well ensuring it isn’t distractingly so by summarizing a good chuck of the floors, and we do get some time to focus on Floralinda considering what it even means to be a princess. The ending, however, made up for the repetition as well as the way Floralinda and Cobweb treated each other.

It was short, fun, and a quick read. Bonus points for Moira Quirk’s stellar narration (as always).

To be honest, I had no idea what A Darker Shore was about. I saw it was part of the Six of Crows duology and it was a no brainer. I assumed it was going to be a collection of essays or letters from our favorite characters, and while that is technically true, it’s actually its own story. Two investigators come together to try to discover who is responsible for a massacre at sea, who a correspondent who addresses their letters as “I” could be, and who is the captain of the Wraith.

If you didn’t read Six of Crows yet, don’t read this. Actually, if you haven’t read the full duology or the King of Scars duology, don’t read this as it has spoilers for both series. From this point forward, there may be potential spoilers from the main duology.

This was a lot of fun. As the story unfolds it is very clear who is behind what and exactly what is happening. After all, if you know Kaz and his associates, it’s very predictable. Still, it was fun reading letters and seeing it all play out. Because these characters were so well fleshed out previously, you don’t feel like you’re missing anything without being in the room where it happened, so to speak. It made me want to reread the whole grishaverse.

Also, hats off to E.K. Belsher for the beautiful artwork in this book. I would frame much of it if I could. Truly stunning! Also, loved the sheet music composed by E. Aaron Wilson. Can someone please play it so I can hear it?? I can read music a little, but unfortunately I have no skill for playing and I need to hear it.

Without spoiling anything, however, there is a small mystery within the text that is not revealed until the end, however, the answers are left for you to find. I enjoyed this interactive piece. I will admit I struggled with it, but that is in great part due to my poor eyesight and lack of a table to use to investigate better. It was really fun. If you want the reveal for that mystery, I will include it in a spoiler section at the end of this review.

I do have two small complaints. First, some of the writing was difficult to read. Maybe it was my lighting, but I definitely had to read the words around a handful of words to know what they were. Also, towards the end of the book there are little envelopes with collectables and such, and they’re sealed. I tried and tried but could not for the life of me peal up the seals without damaging the envelopes. I’m so sad that they’re damaged, but the envelopes are so thin that it’s nearly unavoidable (I supposed I could have done the hairdryer trick but 1. I don’t want to get up while read and 2. I don’t want to risk harming the pages either). I think they could have done a different closure or even cut them so the top could have tucked in.

Okay, now, as promised, the mystery answers . . . . . . . . . . . . During the story, Kaz and Inej exchange letters. During those letters, Kaz sends her sheet music. This sheet music is the key to a cipher so they could talk in code by aligning the stars.

Letter #1 We are given the answer, which Kaz says, “dreamed you returned must avoid trap”

Letter #2 Inej responds with, “can we set a trap of our own making”

Letter #3 Kaz responds, “trust me to protect you use their ships”

Then we have a final exchange of letters at the end.

Letter #4 Inej says, “I’ll return to Katterdam and to you no mourners”

Letter #5 Kaz responds, “wait for you by the window always no funerals”

The Heartstopper series as a whole follows Nick and Charlie as they navigate romantic and platonic relationships, sexuality, identity, mental health, and so much more. Vol. 6 is the conclusion of the series. In this final installment we follow Nick and Charlie as they prepare for their relationship to become long distance once Nick goes to university.

Something I really like about the Heartstopper universe is there is always someone to relate to. Although I can see some readers getting frustrated with Nick in this installment, I really identified with him. At his age I felt very similar to how he feels. For Nick, this story really asks, “who am I?” And to that I say, who knows? Seriously, even at almost 30, I still don’t know how to really answer that question, so seeing him struggle with that is relatable now, but especially at that time. When applying to schools I went through at least three different majors because I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. While that isn’t Nick’s struggle in this book, the vibe was very similar.

Charlie has also shown a lot of growth. He did not get quite as much character development in this installment because he had so much in the other. Instead this book allowed Charlie to show the reader that he really did learn and grow from the events in the earlier volumes.

I loved seeing Tori more, too. I don’t have much to say about her other than I just really love her character. Without going into anymore specifics about the side characters, it was also nice to see that they were dealing with their own ups and downs. Heartstopper does a great job of giving readers two main characters with a cast of side characters who have lives of their own, struggles of their, and things to deal with that do not revolve around the main characters. I think having so much diversity in relationships and relationship types did this story so much justice because really, all of them were portrayed pretty well (both romantic and familial).

I will say, I didn’t love how often it was insinuated that they were having sex. I’m not anti-sex in books or in YA books, it just felt like a lot. I get that they’re young and in love, but I think two instances would have been enough for my personal tastes.

Now I need a series about Mr. Ajay and Mr. Farouk

Father Material is the confirmed 3rd and final book in the London Calling series. The overall series follows Luc and Oliver’s relationship through the highs and lows it experiences. There may be spoilers for books 1 and 2 in the review, but I will try to refrain from spoiling anything that could not be gleamed from the book’s description or information on who Luc and Oliver are from previous books.

The book opens on Luc and Oliver officially reaching that age that their friendship are all either having children, already have children, want children, or are purposely childfree. Meanwhile, Luc and Oliver are taking the big step of becoming dog owners. If you’ve read books 1 and 2, it should come as know surprise the Oliver is panicking over this large decision. This, however, is where my first complaint falls. Simply put, this book could have and should have been shorter. This entire arc with the dog is more or less pointless as the synopsis tells use they get the dog. While I don’t mind Luc’s antics, I wish the book started after they adopted the dog. While the dog training montage does provide some context for their parenting styles, it’s not like we don’t know these characters by now. The set up wasn’t totally necessary (Spud was necessary, but he could have already been there).

I suppose this is a minor spoiler, but totally needed to discuss this book. After having a dog for a few weeks (days?), they decide they need to discuss having children, and Oliver is pretty set on fostering. Here is where I give the book some praise. Fostering is first and foremost almost always about reuniting the child and their parent(s) and the book acknowledges this. While I am not an expert on the foster system in England or in the US, I have some background due to my work and research, and from what I understand, it is pretty accurately shown.

Throughout the story, I really enjoyed getting to see Luc. At the start of the book he seems like the same person in book 1, and while he certainly still has his flaws, his growth is highlighted in this installment. However, I was disappointed in Oliver’s lack of growth from book 2. He is more or less unchanged by the experiences in book 2, and while he is forced to confront that in those book, it was frustrating to read. I usually don’t enjoy reading books with kids in them, however, I really liked Jaz. Maybe it’s because I work with kids exactly her age, but I felt like I understood who she was immediately, and there were times she had me actually laughing out loud. I also appreciated how her character was treated by Hall, making her fell authentic and real.

Like with Husband Material, I think audiences will be split with the ending of this installment. I liked Husband Material’s ending, however, for the series conclusion, I wasn’t thrilled with this ending. Let me be clear, this book ended perfectly for this book. The ending was fitting, realistic, and definitely had bittersweet tones. It was nicely done. However, because of the events in the book (both through Oliver’s work and the fostering situation), the ending did not feel like the ending of a series. I don’t mind an open ended ending, but in this case I would have preferred things be tied up a little nicer (not necessarily happier or less happy - I just wanted more finality I suppose).

Overall I liked this book and I’m sad I am done watching Luc and Oliver grow. I perhaps feel extra bittersweet because this series was the first series I read via audiobook for the first time a few years back when I had an hour commute. Luc and Oliver had kept me company, and narrator Joe Jameson spoiled me for narrators before I realized how much I loved audiobooks.

In the aftermath of the Emperor’s death, his niece Alyssa and the other heirs of the Prime families are thrust into a dangerous, high‑stakes competition to claim the royal seal, an artifact that determines the next ruler of an empire spanning more than 1,000 planets. Alyssa has no desire to rule; she prefers her life of exploration and freedom. But duty, expectation, and circumstance push her into a contest filled with deadly challenges and shifting alliances.

The cast of characters are exceptional, especially for a debut. Alyssa stands out as a protagonist who is funny, quippy, compassionate, and brave without falling into the stereotypical YA heroine mold. She repeatedly insists she would make a terrible ruler, yet her actions reveal her integrity and loyalty. Her engineer, Hell Monkey, grows on the reader over time. His dynamic with Alyssa is engaging. Other characters appear in both present‑day chapters and flashbacks, giving them depth and making the ensemble feel fully realized. A small portion of the book is told through Edgar’s POV, one of Alyssa’s competitors. His chapters add nuance, making his motivations understandable even when readers may not agree with him. This dual‑perspective approach enriches the narrative and adds suspense.

I also enjoyed that the romance is a minor subplot, present enough to add emotional stakes but never distracting from the competition. It’s subtle, well‑paced, and integrated naturally into the story.

The story also tackles several themes and forms of representation. Alyssa is dealing with her grief on and off throughout the book, highlighting how grief in real life can fade only to come back out of nowhere. She also provides great bisexual representation as the book casually mentions her past relationship with one of the other girls in the completion as well as her current attraction to Hell Monkey. Additionally, book depicts differing family types with care, including single‑parent households, no parents, and guardians like uncles. Lastly, the story repeatedly shows how public perception is shaped by media narratives.

I think a lot of readers would enjoy this book. Particularly those who enjoy character driven books, sci-fi fans, those who like a fast-paced plot, and those who enjoy complex characters. While this book is a space opera, the science end of things is easy to follow and should not impede anyone’s ability to understand what is happening. I do think it is worth noting that there are a few references to drinking, both for fun and as part of the grieving process.

Minor Critiques Some characters hold back when they logically shouldn’t. The competition’s rules are occasionally illogical or phrased awkwardly. Not all tasks are necessary to win, so more strategic tracking might have made sense. The political world could use more development — likely something book two will expand. These critiques are minor and didn’t affect my overall enjoyment. Honestly, just read it.

Legend is told through two POVs. First there is Day, a 15 year old boy from the poorer sectors of the Republic. He is amongst the most wanted due to various crimes connected to him and his ability to always evade detection. Then there is June, a prodigy of the government, the only person reported to score perfectly on an exam that determines where one ends up in society. June and her brother are both bond to the republic through duty and honor, and Day is doing everything he can to ensure his family survives under the Runoic’s militaristic regime. So when Day is accused of killing June’s brother, the two find themselves intertwined with the dealings of the government and each other. At the same time, the Republic is constantly dealing with plague outbreaks.

**This review will be spoiler-free assuming you have read the synopsis and know the conventions of the dystopia genre**

I really enjoyed this book. To be complete transparent, it was predictable from nearly the first page, BUT I think it’s a great set up for a series and I plan on continuing with it (despite only picking it up for my Master’s degree - I don’t usually finish series that I start for my courses).

I did see some people saying that the book had a lot of world building, but I disagree. There is enough to understand what was happening, but I would like to know more.

Day and June both had interesting POVs. They each had unique voices with unique perspectives. June is a little unlikable at times, but that is completely intentional and I enjoyed watching her growth (though I do think it was too easy for her to change her perspective at times). I also appreciated while there was hints that a potential romance might happen, it really isn’t the focus of the book. In fact, the idea is hardly present at all, and for the setting, that makes a lot of sense.

I believe this was Lu’s debut, and for a debut it was really well done. I know she recent came out with an adult dystopian, and if she has grown from here, I will definitely get around to it.

The Nest is a bizarre, creepy, genuinely scary middle grade book about Steve and his desire to ‘fix’ his ‘broken’ baby brother. Theo, his newborn brother, has many ailments and spends a lot of time at the hospital. Riddled with anxiety and fear for his brother, he dreams of what he perceives to be angels that remove his nightmares and promises to ensure his brother will be healthy and perfect.

As I mentioned above, this book was creepy. Personally, I’m already not a huge fan of wasps, and this story revolves around a wasp nest being built in Steve’s backyard. That on top of the imagery and the atmospheric and eerie segments actually had me nervous about what would happen and how it would be perceived in the end.

Like a lot of horror, the book does take a speculative twist, but it was done in a pretty unique way.

The antagonist in the book was also pretty complex. I really liked how they had their own goal and desires, and how they were able to use what they knew of Steve to manipulate his emotions to attempt to get what they wanted.

I appreciated the anxiety and OCD representation, as well as the exploration of perfection vs imperfection (and if perfection is really even worth striving towards).

The writing of this book was pretty succinct and straightforward, making it highly accessible. The book also does a great job of explaining some of the more complex terminology through the lens of things Steve learned in his biology class before summer break, so if readers do not know what pheromones are for example, the book explains it in a way that feels very natural.

The book’s cover was perfectly fitting, and I really enjoyed John Klassen’s illustrations sprinkled throughout. Additionally, I thought it was interesting that each chapter has the number of wasps in place of the chapter number (ie 5 wasps for chapter 5), until we get to the final chapter, which remained unnumbered. Similarly, the page breaks were also ways denoted with wasps, but during the final chapter the page breaks were denoted with what appeared to be crushed wasps.

Truly Devious is allegedly about Stevie, a bright teenage girl who’s entire personality revolves around True Crime and mystery novels. She is accepted into a prestigious, project-based learning school to hone these skills and potentially uncover the truth behind the alleged murders of the school’s founder’s wife and daughter. Except, is it really about that? No. In truth, this is a book about a girl who is obsessed with the death of a classmate and will not rest until she understands what happened to him. In truth, I’m not sure why we needed the two timelines. It isn’t much of a spoiler to say that while the past certainly has an impact on the present, it’s minor and really could have been a prologue to the book. Additionally, does the author know she wrote a YA book? I know some people have picked this up because of the Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle references, but as a teacher of kids in this age group, 99% of them either do not know who they are or do not care. Moreover, our protagonist liking these famous murder mystery writers did not add anything to her personality or the plot. In fact, nothing added anything to these characters personalities. Most of them were bland and forgettable (don’t ask me to name them - I can’t), and Stevie somehow managed to be both boring AND terrible. I couldn’t stand her. Now, to be fair to the book, I’m already not a huge fan of mystery books, and YA mysteries even less. it’s hard for me to believe some random 16 year old is going to be more proficient than the FBI at solving a case. This book certainly did not convince me of it. Maybe this book is hinging on the fact that it’s a series, but I have no desire to read another 300-400 pages just to discover why Stevie is rude and self obsessed and suffers from panic attacks (relatable and well written, but like, crime and panic attacks aren’t a personality). I will say in her defense, I did like seeing the difficult contrast between her and her parents - it was very relatable! It also felt like the ending was supposed to be a big reveal/cliff hanger, but like…okay?? I can’t say I care at all who David’s dad is. I don’t even care about David.

Now, I know I’ve ranted, but I also read this for my master’s course on YA lit, so let me at least share some of my more professional thoughts:

Truly Devious may be relatable to YA readers who are interested in True Crime or crime related TV shows. While the book promises the characters must be brilliant to attend a prestigious school, most YA readers will have no problem keeping up with the plot since Johnson makes sure to explain much of what is going on through the main character’s inner monologue. This is not a book I would recommend to reluctant readers as it is slow paced early on, with the true mystery not taking place until nearly half way through the book. Instead, I would suggest this for readers who cling the series, are okay with not getting all of the answers in book one, and those who enjoy a duel timeline. The writing is simple and accessible, and the content is appropriate for all ages under the YA umbrella (typically 13-18). I would not suggest this book as someone’s first mystery as it is very different from others I have read, but some avid readers of the genre may enjoy that it does not necessarily follow the typical formula.

Game Changers is an interesting story told through pieces of sentences, texts, social media posts, therapy sessions, and some (minimal) internal dialogue. The story focuses on Teddy, and incoming freshman hoping to join the high school’s football team. At the start of the book, Teddy is in a coma from a perceived football accident, but as the story progresses and the community hopes for his recovery, it seems the kids know something that adults don’t about what happened to Teddy.

I really like the way this story was told. Most of the dialogue was given to us through Teddy’s perspective. What I found interesting about this is we never got a single description. At the end of the book, the reader doesn’t know what any of the characters look like nor the setting, and yet, through the storytelling, I still was able to make a mental image of every scene.

I also like how this book examined football. Is it a senselessly violent sport, or is it a sport that builds lifelong bonds and teamwork? Despite asking it, the book doesn’t answer that question. Instead, it intentionally leave the answer up to the reader. I think it could be an incredible book to read as a family and discuss. While it is categorized as YA, I would argue it is more than fitting for Middle Grade readers as well.

I only have two complaints. One is I wanted more (which surprised me - I read this for my masters and never would have read it otherwise). The ending felt a little rushed and I would have liked the final character’s perspective. The other was that I found some of the kids and the mom to be annoying. Let me be clear, they were realistic. The mom was frazzled watching her son in the hospital in a coma and the kids were all middle school to high school aged and behaved as such. Still, I wanted more from them.

Inside Out and Back Again takes place during and immediately after the Vietnam war, following Hà and her family’s experience.

For Hà, this means loving her home, loving her culture, and losing it overnight to the war. It means looking to a mother who also is just barely figuring out what to do. It means mourning all they lost without the time or even full knowledge of what that may be. It is an incredibly sad, touching story.

It feels appropriate that this story was told in verse (despite the fact I’m typically more a fan of stories told in verse). Considering this book’s target audience is middle grade, I think the way the Lại chose to write this book allows for the reader to put themselves in Hà’s shoes. Due to the nature of being written in verse, each chapter is able to focus on one thing. Some examples may include what food Hà likes, confusing the political state of Vietnam, how confusing English is as a language, and how kind and cruel people (adults and children) can be. I think a lot of kids will relate to Hà, even if they do not have her experiences. Even those that do not relate can learn a lot about how their peers - particularly peers who are from a different country or speak a different language- may feel.

The author’s note was also so important. Lại shares that much or the book was directly inspired from her own life experiences, so while it is not a memoir or biography, there is a lot of truth to the story. I think knowing that makes the story hit a little harder.

The Silence of Bones is my first June Hur book, and coincidentally, it is also her debut, which is incredibly impressive. At one point in time I had her other work, A Crane Among Wolves, on my TBR but because it was a library book and not one I had to prioritize, I never got around to it. This book has convinced me I need to go back to it.

The Silence of Bones is a 1800s mystery set in Korea. I’ll be honest, until recently (I mean as recently as three months ago) I knew very little about Korean history, so this book came at the perfect time (I picked it as one of my reads for my Master’s course and I’m gland I did). I highly recommend reading rhetorical author’s note at the end! It gave so much insight into how this book came to be.

I really enjoyed Seol as a character. I admit I’m not the biggest fan of mysteries generally speaking, but while I did find this mystery interesting enough, what I liked most about this book was learning about Seol’s life, how she got into servitude for the police, her family, and the differing dynamics between her and other characters.

The twists in this book were well done. I think I only predicted one of them, but when the reveals were made, they made sense. I will say, however, that there were times that we received the stereotypical “villain” speech so we understood what happened and why, and that felt a little unrealistic. That being said, this is a YA book, and overall it did not hold the reader’s hand too much, so I suppose if that’s the biggest crime this book committed (pun intended), that’s not too bad.

I also appreciated the pronunciation guide for each characters name. I found it very helpful and intuitive.

This story is sold as a a high action romantasy of knights fighting against necromancy and the evils of botanical magic, and while it is that, I wouldn’t go into this expecting a large focus on necromancy. Perhaps this is a me problem, but I hear necromancy, my mind goes to the Locked Tomb series. The cover of this book also gave me C.G. Drew vibes. These are the things that made me pick this up, but I wouldn’t say it meets either.

I would say it is high action (I would be shocked if you were ever bored - it seemed like something was always happening). It was a fun and engaging read, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but I will admit it was far from perfect. Being a standalone, it’s really hard to balance world building vs plot because you simply do not always have the time, and due to this, I found the world building to be lacking. However, if you are someone who can go with the flow, it’s not badly built, just not as in depth as I would have liked.

I did enjoy Math as a main character. He was fun to be in the mind of, and a special feature of the magic that becomes apparent after meeting Kai was a fun way to give multi-POV vibes without actually giving multiple POVs. The romance was also very 0 to 100, but oddly, I didn’t mind that as much as I usually do.

I think this book does try to explore themes of found family, perception vs reality, corrupt government entities, and what good vs evil really means, but it never gets super in depth into any of those topics.

This review may sound negative, but honestly, despite all of it, I had fun. Will this be a new favorite? No. Am I likely to remember the plot at the end of the year? Also no. Did I have fun the entire time I was reading? Yes. I love to analyze my books and engage deeply with them, but sometimes it’s also nice to have a book I could just be along for the ride with, enjoy a few puns, and watch the chaos. If you’ve read any amount of fantasy, this is very predictable, but it was a good time.

Also worth noting: I did read this 50/50 with the digital and audiobook, and while the narrator did a fine job, for whatever reason, I had a much harder time following the story with audio vs physical (I read many books this way, so I’m not sure why this one was different)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a beautifully crafted Middle Grade book that I have not heard enough about. A young girl named Minli lives with her parents on Fruitless Mountain. Day in and day out, the entire village toils away for very little return. It appears many are struggling to even produce enough to eat. Minli’s Ba (father) fills her head with all sorts of stories. The book focuses on two important tales: The Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. It is said the Old Man of the Moon has the answers for everything, so one day Minli decides to take it upon herself to find him and ask how she can change her family’s fortune. On her journey she encounters a dragon who becomes her companion on her journey, kings, terrifying tigers, and more. Each stop along the way introduces her to another Chinese folktale, that both serve to propel the plot and teach Minli valuable lessons.

I think so many children will enjoy Minli. She is brave, strong, kind, and cares deeply about her family. I also enjoyed that the book showed us her parent’s perspectives, something I have not seen done in many middle grade books. While Minli is learning more about the world and herself, her parents miss her and are forced to reconnect and reflect on why they behave the way they do. I think this may be insightful for many young readers as it may help them realize how parents are often dealing with very similar emotions as they are, and oftentimes they are simply doing their best in difficult situations.

The writing was also throughly enjoyable. It’s accessible while also forcing middle grade aged readers to use some context clues to discover some of the more cultural words if they are less familiar (such as kowtow).

I think young readers could enjoy reading this at night with a parent and middle grade through young adult readers would enjoy this on their own. I would be interested in reading some more of Lin’s work.

An Occasionally Happy Family is a realistic, candid look at a family living in the aftermath of losing a loved one. Theo, the main character, is 13. He likes rock music and making comics. His sister Laura is 16, and while they use to be close, they bicker more than anything else. At the top of the story, their father decides to surprise them with a camping trip, which Laura quickly takes over since their father had not done any proper research. As the story continues, it reveals a family of three not quite connecting after the death of Laura and Theo’s mother about two years prior.

Theo was incredibly relatable. As the youngest in my family (until my mom remarried) I understood precisely what it is like to feel like there isn’t a group you really fit into, sometimes even within a family. Laura was enjoyable as well. She reads as a 16 year old and her passion and sense of right and wrong are compelling to read.

The largest strength of this book, however, is how it tackles grief. It does a great job of portraying how in the midst of grief there are moments that are happy and funny, moments that are frustrating and anger inducing, and moments that are just sad. Theo experiences all of these emotions and more. The story does a great job of showing how sometimes those emotions can sneak up on you and how, for some, the fear of forgetting pieces of lost loved ones is as difficult as the grief itself. As someone who lost their father, I related heavily to this topic and found myself crying, despite not expecting to.

I will admit, I found myself getting frustrated with his father, too. Both Theo and Laura try to express their emotions to their father, but still grieving himself, he does not always respond the best way (oftentimes he doesn’t even seem to notice they are trying to explain their emotions to him). Due to a reveal later in the story, Theo and Laura feel betrayed, and he also doesn’t seem to understand that until things hit a boiling point. He was frustrating to read about, but not necessarily unrealistic.

I think this can be a very important read for kids and their parents, particularly in the event of the death of a parent.

Six books deep and I, unfortunately, continue to run into the same issues. Should I probably just give up on the series? Maybe, but not only do I want to know how they conclude, but they’ve been something me and my partner have enjoyed dissecting, debating, and discussing.

Believe it or not, I do have some good to say about this one. Like the previous installments, the epilogue is perfect. Honestly, sometimes it feels like someone else wrote the epilogues because they go on just long enough to give the reader new information without holding our hands and spoon feeding it. If I had to guess, Dinniman spends most of his editing time on the epilogues. I also appreciated acknowledging which aspects that may be considered offensive were thoughts the Carl had vs things the infamous “show runners” were enacting (not all the time, but progress). I liked the idea behind this floor, too, and how Dinniman introduced concepts earlier on that were revisited later.

To be honest, the reminder of this review will be me complaining. Fair warning.

My largest complaint is this book desperately needs an editor. From what I could find in the copyright information, this book is published by the author and does not credit an editor, so I have to assume there is none. I swear, this book could easily be 200 less pages with a good editor. Even my partner (who is not a reader) noticed how repetitive the book was and got frustrated when we were told the same information multiple times in a single scene. It is totally okay to tell the audience something once (maybe twice) and trust them to remember and understand, or better yet, sometimes things can be summarized. That being said, there were times we would have to go back and reread sections of the book due to some description being nearly nonsensical. While we listen to the audiobook, I have the ebook up on my phone. I mention this because while usually the audiobook is okay, the voice Hayes did for the demon was impossible for either of us to understand.

Additionally, the whole joke about the crabs and their desire/need to get off and procreate was pointless, not funny, and gross. It felt like a joke that would have been written by a middle school boy.

I also cannot believe Carl, who served in the military, would not know what an Adjutant is. Like?????

Despite addressing some of the more offensive ideas in the book as the aliens doing, I would be remiss not to mention a list of some of the more problematic content warnings, including but not limited to: anorexia being used as a descriptor, ableism, sexism/misogyny (the word bitch appears 62 times and the word whore appears 15 and we spend too much time describing breasts as boy parts that either enhance or detract from a women’s hotness/goodness- I don’t care if these are titles or not, they’re problematic and not funny; additionally, the phrase “I could only tell she was female because it said so” was disgusting), racism, unnecessary torture by the “good guys”, sexual assault that happened to a character being played for jokes, and I’m sure much more that I have forgotten over the months it took me to read this.

All the Bright Places follows two seniors in high school. Finch (aka Theo or Theodore) seems to be a boy who is quite literally trying to outrun life and its problems. Violet is still recovering from losing her sister months prior in a car accident. Despite how different the two are, and despite how tragic their lives may seem, they connect through a school project to see their state. This book is funny and relatable and heartbreaking in equal measure.

If you do not want to know about this book’s ending or themes, stop here. Honestly, if you haven’t read it, stop, read it, then come back. Okay, actually, read the trigger warnings first if you need. Some of the big ones I’ve noted include: bullying, suicidal ideation, dictions of depression, car accident, death of a child (high school aged), grief, abuse (physical/neglect), and PTSD. . . . . . . . . . . This is my second time reading All the Bright Places. The first time I read it was in around this time (summer) of 2022. I was 25 at the time and was still finding my stride in getting back into reading. I’ve always been a primarily sci-fi and fantasy reader, so I can’t say what made me pick up this book. I remember feeling the growing, impending dread as I read. This time I read it for a YA lit course for my Masters Degree. When I started it again, I thought I likely overrated it the first time. Some of the thoughts and things said early on don’t feel like they aged well, but then I remembered the intended audience and as the story unfurled, everything said and done felt viscerally real.

During my first read, I wasn’t looking for the symbolism on Finch’s name. Even knowing something was coming, I had myself convinced I saw it wrong. This allowed me to ignore a lot of very difficult to read things. I knew the first time I read this that Finch’s family was not functional, but this time the neglect really stood out to me. You can’t blame Violet or Finch’s sisters for that happened, and you want to feel bad for the mom, but I do understand why Violet’s father is so angry with her. I am so angry with her. It’s complicated though, because while Finch’s bipolar is so clearly there from the start, we don’t spend much time with his mom. I don’t excuse her in anyway, but it’s hard realizing how abused she likely was from her ex, how checked out she was likely in part to that abuse and from likely being re-traumatized having to interact with her ex-husband. I would guess he has either threatened her or has a court order to see his children considering none of them seem eager to see him. She appears depressed, overwhelmed, and mentally/emotionally unavailable. She should have done better, that cannot be excused (especially not sending Violet to find her son when she clearly suspected he was dead), but I do feel for her in a way I didn’t during my first read. (His dad can go to hell - I have no empathy for him).

On the opposite side of things, I thought Violet’s parents seemed perfect on my first read. This time I can see how flawed they are. They’re doing their best, and they clearly love their daughter, but it was heartbreaking to see how desperately Violet was clinging onto her sister while they rarely (if ever) mentioned her. While I understand how protective her father felt, it was also hard seeing how he reacted to everything, particularly calling suicide selfish when, in reality, those who die by suicide tend to believe it is the opposite. I understand that this comes from a place of grief for him, but it doesn’t feel great having him take that grief out on a child. Additionally, when Violet started voicing her concerns about Finch, while her mother tried to do everything she could think of to help, her father was uninvolved. I understand he felt trauma from not hearing from Violet for a night, but it felt almost childish to be so angry at this boy as to not care. It bothers me a little that they didn’t even try to call the police. I’m a teacher, so maybe my perspective is skewed, but if I knew a kid had gone missing for weeks, only occasionally checking in with his family (clearly neglected since the mom said this was fine and didn’t think her child dealing with mental illness needed help) and had a bad relationship with his father (I’m not sure if they knew he was abusive), I would be calling CPS and the police to find this child.

Violet is a great character. She is complex and shows great growth. She starts scared and stuck, refusing to move forward from her sister’s death, surrounded by people who hardly understand her. With Finch’s help, she finds her footing again and learns how to navigate grief in the many forms it can take, and it takes many for her. I really like her and think she would be relatable to other teens dealing with such traumatic events. Her conversation with the counselor at the end is particularly impactful.

And Finch. Finch broke my heart on both reads. This time, however, I felt it deeper. On my first read there felt like he had hope. On this one, slowing down and taking my time, I could feel how hopeless he truly felt. How every time he said he wasn’t going to fall back into a depression, how he wasn’t going to run until the adrenaline kept him “awake”, how he wanted to put all his dreams into Violet, I could see it for what it was - fear. I’m not sure he ever really believed he could out run his darkness. I understand he was also manic, but it read to me like he was experiencing a mix of depression and mania (which can happen in those with bipolar). It was hard rooting for him when I knew the ending, yet I couldn’t help it.

I also feel compelled to say this is my first time reading the author’s note. I’ve only started taking time to read them this year, and it feels especially impactful. I did not realize this was Niven’s YA debut, nor that this book reflects pieces of her real life. It puts into context why this story feels so real (even if the wandering assignment may feel a little unlikely).

In short, this book hit me just as hard as it did the first time, if not harder. And yes, I did in fact ugly sob throughout the final 60 pages. Maybe I’ll come back in another 4-5 years and put myself through it again.

Unfortunately, the Circus Rose was not for me. In its defense, I may never have come across it if it wasn’t one of the books I could pick to read for my master’s course on YA literature, but I really thought I would love it.

There were some interesting things in this book. I enjoyed the inclusion single parent representation, found family, bisexual representation, polyamory representation, difficult child/parent relationships, and the exploration of how siblings (particularly twins) are their own, individual people. Many YA readers can related to one or more of those things. While it did not work for me, I can still appreciate one POV being in prose while the other with told in verse. I think poetry readers may get more out of that mechanic. Speaking of mechanics, I also liked how one of the daughters wanted to be center stage, while the other was interested in mechanics.

All that to be said, I just didn’t love it. In the very first pages we are told that Rose and Ivory are twins from different fathers. We know at this time that their mother is NOT in a poly relationship with two men. She is dating two men, but they are uninvolved with each other. Now, is it totally possible for someone to have two eggs drop in a cycle? Yes. In theory, if that person self with two separate people during ovulation, could one sperm from each person fertilize one of the two eggs and both eggs implant? Also yes. However, the third line of the first chapter states that she simply slept with them in the same month. Sure, the daughters likely did not get details, but it just seems incredibly unlikely and misleading. If you’re going to include this in a YA novel, I need magic to explain it or the author to explain how this anomaly happened.

I also found the beginning terribly boring. It was repetitive (both girl’s POVs mentioned the same things - like that Bear could unlock their own cage) and the first few chapters felt like lazy world building. We get a recap of the first 15-16 years of their lives, but we aren’t really there. I would have perfected just jump into the story or give us their last in flashbacks. This way of writing made it impossible for me to really care because I felt so disconnected. (I have nowhere to put this, but there is a line about how one of the girls could fit into a spot that a girl of 15 could never fit into….she was 14. Many girls that are 14 and 15 are similar is shape and size, so why include this???)

Even when the true events of the book kicked off, I just didn’t care. I felt no sense of urgency and never really had reason to care. I am so sure there is an audience for this book, but unfortunately it wasn’t me.

On the Same Page is a friends to lovers romance between Riley, an every day kind of girl trying to launch a news project to reel in younger viewership, and Gianna, a larger than life, successful influencer and owner of a lingerie company. It flips back and forth between their college days from Gianna’s POV and present day from Riley’s POV.

There was nothing wrong with this book. It was cute, the over all prose was good, and I was actually really enjoying it early on. However, unfortunately, I did run into a few issues. The largest is that it dragged on and on. This book could have easily lost 100+ pages and the story would have stayed the same. I don’t mind a thick book, but there needs to be a reason for it and there was no reason for the length of this book.

The next issue I ran into was an odd continuity error. In all honesty, it doesn’t matter and I’m not even that pressed about it, but I am still confused. In the college timeline Gianna claims hers friends did not reach out after something occurs, but one of them had in the previous college chapter (for the wrong reasons, but I digress). I’m just confused if I had the timeline wrong or if this was an editing error. It’s minor, but it stuck out so it’s worth mentioning (again - I could totally be the dumb one here).

I also found the third act break up to be ridiculous. I won’t spoil it, but I will say it made no sense. It felt like conflict for the sake of conflict. I didn’t get it.

Lastly, I understand the reason for it, but we could have chilled it on how constantly the main characters wanted to sleep with each other. I don’t mind a little spice in my books (I’m not a HUGE spice fan, but it’s fine here and there), but it felt like the only thing on Riley’s mind for chapters at a time. Like I get it, girl. I’m so glad you want her, but I’m good. You made your point.

All that to be said, this ain’t a bad book and I would be willing to try another book by the author in the future. I liked the characters overall, and I really would have loved to see more of Riley at work. I was actually really interested in that part of her character and we saw shockingly little of it.

It is worth noting that I did not realize this was a spinoff of another book by the author the author until after I started it, but since these are stand alone romances, I don’t think it would have much bearing on this review. I may try that book in the future, however.

If I was still in high school when The Gravewood came out, I would have been all over it. Considering this is a book written for readers of that age, it does precisely what it should. While as an adult I still thoroughly enjoy reading YA stories, some of them translate better for adult readers than others, and this is a story I think is best enjoyed by readers in their teens to maybe early 20s.

All that to be said, there is a lot going for this book. It’s written well and the comments on Pennsylvania are spot on (I’ve lived here my whole life and could not agree more). While the characters clearly each had their designated role, I think that works well for YA books. I also found the twist predictable, but again, I don’t think it would have been as predictable if I was the target audience. I really enjoyed having a main character dealing with hearing loss in this environment. As a disabled person myself, I often find myself thinking I would simply die in most dystopian/sci fi/fantasy situations, so it was nice to see someone tackle what that may look like (helps that this is an own voices - the author uses hearing aids).

If you get the chance, get the audiobook from your library solely for the end of audiobook interview! From what I have seen, it is exclusive to the audiobook and honestly made me like the story more than I initially did.

I think I will pick up the conclusion to this duology solely because I do want some answers, but it won’t be a priority read when it releases.

The Red Winter unfortunately did not work for me. In theory, it should have. I love historical fiction and I love more folklore-inspired fantasy, but unfortunately, I simply could not get into this. I

First, however, the pros:

I liked the overall writing style and atmosphere. I also really liked Sarmodel and his relationship with Sebastian. In fact, their relationship was by far the strongest aspect of the story and I wish that was the focus instead.

However, that’s kind of it, which is a bummer because I’ve been really excited for this book. I really didn’t like the portrayal of women, for starters. There were not many prominent women characters, and the ones that were had their entire identities built around being mothers, wives, gold diggers, or sex crazed. And of course when women were no longer good/useful/trustworthy they were no longer young and beautiful (in fact, in one specific example a woman became repulsive and fat. Her fatness and lack of a young body is made a huge point of focus. Why is fatphobia still in my fantasy books???). Not to mention Joan of Arc (yes, THE Joan of Arc) loses all her credit in this narrative.

Additionally, the men literally constantly had boners. I would have counted the number of times it was mentioned (or they were seen palming the front of their pants) but who has the time?

I think the duel timeline was another weakness, but this may be in part due to the poorly crafted female characters and the fact that I didn’t buy into the romance at all. Additionally, while this book was folklore heavy, it was also Christianity heavy, and I can’t say I love the combination. Partially because they do not blend well together, but it also lead to weak world building, particularly with beings like Mars and Michael. If you can’t fully flesh out one, I don’t think including both is wise.

I also hated the foot notes. I can enjoy a footnote, but, they seemed more an attempt used to try to cover up the lazy world building than anything else.

I will say, the audiobook was well done. The narrators are talented and almost convinced me I liked this book more than I really did.

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.