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, …

Joint Rainbow Review: Felix Ever After | Return of the Kathy (Again)

Hello everyone! I come out of hiding once again like an anxious little mole. The thing I learned about staying home during this darkest timeline is that "extra free time" comes with a HUGE disclaimer that's deviously written in tiny scrawl, and in Papyrus to boot. As free time goes up, productivity plummets. Hard. So …

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 …

Review: Bent Heavens – Horrific, Depressing, and Super Compelling

Title: Bent Heavens Author: Daniel Kraus Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Genre(s): "YA" Horror, Contemporary Subject(s): Alien abduction, torture Release Date: Feb 25th, 2020 Page Count: 304 (hardback) Rating: 8.0/10         Liv Fleming’s father went missing more than two years ago, not long after he claimed to have been abducted by aliens. …

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 …

Spotlight + Giveaway (US): The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah

Yup, it's yet another blog tour! (Seriously, how did I sign up for so many tours? Did I accidentally clone myself one night?) And my YA curse continues because The Light at the Bottom of the World didn't exactly light up my world. So my review will be posted later this week after the tour …

DNF Reviews: Tarnished are the Stars & The Good Luck Girls – Why does YA Hate Me? (I’m Open to Suggestions)

Here's a fun stat for you: I DNFed 5 books in the past month and a half, and four of them were YA SFF. And I'm pretty sure they're at least 60% responsible for the reading slump I'm currently in. Conclusion? 1) Recent YA SFF is just missing a lot of the stuff I crave. …

Blog Tour Spotlight + Giveaway (US): Tarnished are the Stars | Feat. Character Art

Tours, tours, tours! I forgot that I signed up for so many of them. I'm still on a semi-hiatus right now, but there are majorly exciting news coming in the next couple of weeks, and I CANNOT WAIT to tell you all about it. I'll just say...if you're a fan of a certain fantasy series …

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 …