Come On In Anthology – Thoughts and Doodles

WELCOME From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today...journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah, from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey, from Fiji, America, Mexico and more... Come On In. With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the …

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: Mayhem by Estelle Laure – A Gorgeous Chaotic Mess

Title: Mayhem Author: Estelle Laure Publisher: Wednesday Books Genre(s): YA Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Magical Realism Subject(s): Multigenerational, Abuse Release Date: July 14th, 2020 Page Count: 304 (hardback) Rating: 4.0/10 It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, …

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 …

How Historical Fiction Became a Source of Comfort These Last Few Weeks

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you're all doing well and keeping relatively sane! I kind of pulled a disappearing act again, but March was uh...yeah. I had to go through some adjustments. The past couple of weeks has been interesting. I'm forgetting what day it is, I've been crying non stop to The Weeknd's new …

January & February 2020 Wrap-Up: Begone, Cursed Months! (Feat. Pretty Lights)

Happy March, everyone! These past two months felt overly short and dragged out at the same time. And I'm torn between wanting to re-do them or wanting to stuff them into a burlap sack filled with rocks and hurl them into the nearest lake. I ended up re-reading a lot of old comfort books, partly …

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 …