Review: The Story of Mina Lee – The Monotony of the Great American Dream

Title: The Last Story of Mina LeeAuthor: Nancy Jooyoun KimPublisher: Park Row Books Genre(s): Fiction, Historical FictionSubject(s)/Themes(s): Asian-American immigrantsRepresentation: Korean MCs (ownvoices) Release Date: September 1st, 2020Page Count: 384 (hardback)Rating: 4.0/10 Margot Lee's mother, Mina, isn't returning her calls. It's a mystery to twenty-six-year-old Margot, until she visits her childhood apartment in Koreatown, LA, and …

Review: Burn by Patrick Ness – Dragons, Prophecies, and the Cycle of Violence

Title: Burn Author: Patrick Ness Publisher: Quill Tree Books Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Historical Fiction Subject(s)/Themes(s): War, Discrimination, Dragons Representation: Biracial MC, Gay MC Release Date: June 2nd, 2020 Page Count: 384 (hardback) Rating: 8.0/10   On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the …

Review + Giveaway (US): They Went Left – Beautifully Written But Incomplete

  Title: They Went Left Author: Monica Hesse Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers Genre(s): YA Historical Fiction Subject(s): WW2, Holocaust, Mental Health, Siblings Release Date: April 7th, 2020 Page Count: 384 (hardback) Rating: 6.0/10       I admit, I’m not exactly in the right mood for Holocaust fiction at this point in …

Mini Reviews: Untamed Shore & Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – A Shark and a Wolf Walk(?) into a Bar

Publisher: Agora Books Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Crime Release Date: February 21st, 2020 Page Count: 339 (hardback) Rating: 6.5/10 This is an odd one. One of those books that send your brain into a bit of a lull. And I enjoyed it (with a faint question mark attached). But I think I enjoyed it as I'd …

Review & Paint: Dark and Deepest Red – Beautiful But Flawed

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore Genre(s): YA Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Magical Realism Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Release Date: Jan 14th, 2020 Page Count: 320 (hardback) Rating: 7/10   What I Liked   🌹  The subject of learning to navigate life with an identity that people might not accept or understand. That you might …

Guest Post (The Vine Witch): A History of Witches in France | Feat. Giveaway (US)

I'm so excited to bring you this (belated) guest post today about the history of witches in France, written by author Luanne G. Smith whose debut was released recently on October 1st--a story about witches, revenge, French vineyards, and vine magic (which sounds like the coolest thing). The book is giving me seductive looks from …

Blog Tour Review: Rotherweird – Plenty of Weird, Not a Lot of Enjoyment

Title: Rotherweird Author: Andrew Caldecott Publisher: Quercus (US) Release Date: June 9th, 2019 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Fantasy Subjects and Themes: Alternate History Page Count: 456 (hardback) Rating: DNF @ ~50%         1558: Twelve children, gifted far beyond their years, are banished by their Tudor queen to the town of Rotherweird. Some say …

Mini Review: The Wolf and the Watchman – The Literary Equivalent of Repeatedly Punching a Wall (AKA Not fun)

Title: The Wolf and the Watchman Author: Niklas Natt och Dag Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: March 5th, 2019 Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Subjects and Themes: Crime Page Count: 384 (paperback) Rating: 5.0/10       It is 1793. Four years after the storming of the Bastille in France and more than a year …

Review: The Wolf in the Whale – An Inuk, Three Wolves, and a Viking Walk into an Igloo (And Go On a Soul-Searching Journey)

Title: The Wolf in the Whale Author: Jordanna Max Brodsky Publisher: Redhook Release Date: January 29th, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction Subjects and Themes: Inuit Mythology, Norse Mythology Page Count: 560 (paperback) Rating: 8.5/10     Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in …

Review: Once Upon A River – A Non-Magical Magical Delight

Title: Once Upon a River Author: Diane Setterfield Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: December 4th, 2018 Genre(s): Mystery, Historical Subjects and Themes: Stories about stories Page Count: 421 (hardback) Rating: 8.5/10     On a dark, misty night in the small English village of Radcot, locals gather at the Swan Inn to cap their day …