July Wrap-Up: Family News, Red & Blue is the New Black

I feel like a lot of my personal posts lately have just been me going, "I'm a sad little bundle of sadness!" And, well....the same applies today (I promise a LOT more flowers and rainbows for the next one). But I'll try to keep it brief this time. To put it shortly, my grandmother passed …

Review: Wilder Girls – A Strangely Beautiful and Flawed Gem (Minus that Ending)

Title: Wilder Girls Author: Rory Power Publisher: Delacorte Press Release Date: July 9th, 2019 Genre(s): YA Sci-Fi Subjects and Themes: Friendships, LGBTQIAP+ (f/f), Body Horror Page Count: 368 (hardback) Rating: 7.0/10         It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled …

Top Ten Tuesday – Settings I Want to See More of in Fiction

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now being hosted by The Artsy Reader. I've been telling myself that I'll try out a TTT topic for over a year now, but I never actually took the plunge. But I saw posts for this week's topic pop up in my …

Review: This is How You Lose the Time War – This is How You Write a Time Travel Story

Title: This is How You Lose the Time War Author: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone Publisher: Saga Press Release Date: July 16th, 2019 Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Romance, Epistolary Subjects and Themes: War, LGBTQIAP+ (f/f) Page Count: 208 (hardback) Rating: 9.5/10       Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a …

Broken, Awkward, Incompetent, Mismatched Heroes: Why We Need Them in Stories

I'm not sure what the umbrella term for these types of characters should be. Atypical heroes? Messy heroes? Well, whatever the term, I adore them. And my love grows stronger every time I come across a protagonist who's graduated from the academy of perfect heroes. You know--the shiny put-together ones. The ones whose mistakes are …

Review: Destroy all Monsters – Messy with a Chance of Dinosaurs

Title: Destroy all Monsters Author: Sam J. Miller Publisher: HarperTeen Release Date: July 2nd, 2019 Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Contemporary Subjects and Themes: Mental Health, LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 400 (hardback) Rating: 4.0/10       Solomon and Ash both experienced a traumatic event when they were twelve. Ash lost all memory of that event when she …

Interview with Sam J. Miller – Destroy all Monsters

A crucial, genre-bending tale, equal parts Ned Vizzini and Patrick Ness, about the life-saving power of friendship. Solomon and Ash both experienced a traumatic event when they were twelve. Ash lost all memory of that event when she fell from Solomon’s treehouse. Since then, Solomon has retreated further and further into a world he seems …

Best Reads of 2018 (“Let’s Time Travel Back 6 Months, Shall We?” Edition) – Awards Feat. Art, Balloons, and Some Very Special Guests

[Note: This is a LONG intro, so feel free to scroll down to the actual list portion! But if you've snuck a peek and are wondering why there are photos of janky art underneath the gorgeous book covers, then read on] Yup, I see you squinting at the title! And I'm here to tell you …

Review: Last Bus to Everland – Life Sucks But We’re in it Together

Title: Last Bus to Everland Author: Sophie Cameron Publisher: Roaring Brook Press Release Date: June 18th, 2019 Genre(s): YA Contemporary, Portal Fantasy Subjects and Themes: Mental Health, LGBTQIAP+ Page Count: 336 (hardback) Rating: 8.0/10       Brody Fair feels like nobody gets him: not his overworked parents, not his genius older brother, and definitely …

Review: Magic for Liars – Ivy Gamble is Not Magic and She Wants Everyone to Know

Title: Magic for Liars Author: Sarah Gailey Publisher: Tor Books Release Date: June 4th, 2019 Genre(s): Fantasy, Mystery Subjects and Themes: Siblings, Mental Health, LGBTQIAP+ (Secondary) Page Count: 336 (hardback) Rating: 5.0/10       Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it. Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life – or …