lgbtq representation

Icon and Inferno

By Marie Lu

Coming June 11, 2024

(4 / 5)

Icon and Inferno is the 2nd book in the Stars and Smoke series. Pop superstar-turned-spy Winter Young and agent Sydney Cossette team back up a year later for another mission for the Panacea Group, this time in Singapore.

Icon and Inferno had a similar feel to the first book, with action, mystery, romance and thrills. I read the books together, but enough background information is given catch you up if it’s been a bit. Once again, I enjoyed the complicated relationship between Winter and Sydney, and the addition of their exes added extra tension. There are surprises along the way, though I’ll admit to having my suspicions about some of the things that happened beforehand. There’s a lot of action, and while sometimes it feels a little unrealistic, it gives it the kind of excitement you feel while watching a movie. It was definitely a quick read that was hard to put down. I’m not sure if there will be another book in this series, but I’d love to read more by the author, Marie Lu.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the free review copy of Icon and Inferno! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Stars and Smoke

By Marie Lu

Paperback edition releases tomorrow!

(4 / 5)

19-year-old Winter Young is a huge global pop star, but he still yearns for something more in his life. Unexpectedly, he is approached by a secret agency with a mission to get intel on a crime boss while performing at a private birthday concert. He is paired with Sydney Cossette, a young but effective recruit of the agency.

I had the opportunity to get an early copy of the new paperback edition of Stars and Smoke, which includes new artwork and a bonus scene. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst; all opinions in my review are solely my own.

I really enjoyed reading Stars and Smoke. I thought both of the main characters were interesting and felt relatable in their own ways, with complicated pasts. The banter between Winter and Sydney was fun and I enjoyed the development of their relationship along the way. The “pop star turned spy” concept was interesting and done well. There was a lot of action, and parts of the story even had a cinematic feel to them. I was expecting some kind of twist along the way and thought I had it all figured out, but it turns out the book was still able to provide surprises. This was one of those books where, once I started getting close to the end, I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and reading more by this author!

I received a free review copy of the book. All opinions are completely my own.

April 1, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Mystery Paperback Thriller Young Adult 0

The Husbands

By Holly Gramazio

Coming soon on April 2, 2024

(3 / 5)

Imagine coming home one night, where you live alone, only to be greeted by a strange man who turns out to be your husband. It’s a different reality, and with the mysterious husband come other small differences. When the husband goes into the attic, a different husband appears, with a different reality…

I wanted to love this book, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I didn’t really feel a connection to Lauren, the main character, so I think that was a lot of it. The beginning of the book was a bit too impersonal for my taste, since I knew very little about Lauren and the husbands were rapidly changing. We do end up getting to know Lauren a lot better as the story progresses, but I just never felt a real connection. The premise was definitely a unique and interesting investigation into “what if,” with the paranormal twist of the magic attic, seeing how ending up with different spouses changed Lauren’s life in different ways. I think I was secretly hoping for something that was more comedic or romantic, so this book just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It wasn’t a bad read, just not quite the right book for me.

Thank you to Doubleday Books | Doubleday and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Husbands. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 25, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Literary Fiction Women's Fiction 0

The Last Bloodcarver

By Vanessa Le

Coming March 19th!

After reading a 2nd time, I’ve decided to up my rating to (5 / 5).

In the city of Theumas, 18-year-old Nhika has been completely on her own for the past 6 years. She must hide the fact that she’s a heartsooth, with the ability to heal by direct touch, but also feared because the ability can be used to hurt or kill. Her people have essentially been wiped out, and she may just be the last of her kind. When she is captured and sold by black market “butchers,” she is introduced into a different part of society with its own dark secrets.

I really enjoyed reading The Last Bloodcarver, which is the first book in a duology. This book was written so well, it’s hard to believe that it’s the author’s debut novel! Nhika, the main character, was interesting and felt relatable. Her abilities as a heartsooth/bloodcarver were unique yet explained in a way that felt intuitive and understandable. I was easily pulled into this world, which has both a fantasy and technological feel to it. Bonus points for the map included at the beginning at the book, which helped visualize the city and how it was laid out. I really enjoyed the various side characters with their own stories and quirks. With a possible murder to solve, it gives this book a bit of a whodunit feel, and while some things were easy enough to guess, others came as a surprise. This is a book I would read again, and I definitely plan to read the 2nd book when it becomes available!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst for the free copy of The Last Bloodcarver! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

March 18, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

Check & Mate

By Ali Hazelwood

(5 / 5)

Mallory just recently graduated from high school but has a lot more responsibilities than most 18-year-olds. With a sick mom and two younger sisters, Mallory acts as a parent and breadwinner for the family. Formerly a chess player, Mallory gave up the sport 4 years ago after a fallout with her dad. But a favor for a friend leads to her winning a chess game against the world’s #1 player, leading to opportunities she might not be able to turn down.

Check & Mate was my first read by Ali Hazelwood, and now I can see why she’s such a popular author! I really loved reading this book – it was one of those books that had me reading well into the night because I didn’t want to put it down. Mallory was a great character and felt relatable. I really enjoyed her interactions with Nolan and the relationship that develops between them. I think I especially liked how Nolan respected Mallory’s boundaries and didn’t actively pursue her until she was ready. There are plenty of side characters who are quirky and interesting that I enjoyed. While I went into the book knowing it would be a love story, I was happy to see that there was a lot of depth to the story beyond that. Obviously, chess is a major topic in this book, but not knowing a lot about the game didn’t take away from the story at all. What was very eye-opening was the struggle faced by women who play chess, and it was nice to see Mallory’s character grow into a strong representative of a female chess player. Overall, this was just a great read, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

February 3, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

Past Crimes

By Jason Pinter

Coming soon on February 6, 2024

(4 / 5)

Past Crimes takes us into a not-so-distant future where peoples’ lives now revolve around a virtual world known as Earth+, and one of the favorite pastimes is participating in simulations of famous murders and crimes. Here we meet Cassie, who works for a company that looks to sell victims’ stories to the highest bidder.

This story had an unsettling feel to it, I think because the future it presented felt dystopian but believable. There’s a lot of action, and it was a bit of an adrenaline rush as a “rush against the clock” scenario plays out. There are some twists along the way, some that I saw coming for a while and some that I didn’t expect at all. I liked the main character, Cassie, and that she was a representative of a fairly “normal” person in this future world until she becomes a victim herself. Overall, I found this to be an interesting book to read, and it kept my interest.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for the free review copy of Past Crimes. The opinions in my review are solely my own.

January 31, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Thriller 0

The Getaway List

By Emma Lord

Narrated by Norma Butikofer

Coming soon on January 23, 2024

(4 / 5)

The Getaway List is a young adult story following Riley, a teen who has just graduated high school and is trying to figure out who she is. She travels to New York City to visit her best friend, Tom, who moved away a few years ago. Together, they start doing some of the adventures on “The Getaway List,” which they created during their time apart.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of The Getaway List. I enjoyed the narration and thought it was well done. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience this version of the book.

The Getaway List felt like a true coming-of-age story, since our main character, Riley, has just graduated high school and is exploring who she is and what she wants to do with her future. She initially heads for New York City to visit Tom, but they are quickly joined by a couple friends from school and a new friend along the way. The story takes place over the course of a summer full of adventures, blooming relationships, and the friends discovering their individual selves apart from family expectations. It was great to see so much character growth in Riley and all of her friends. I’ll admit that the parent in me cringed a bit when Riley impulsively took off immediately after graduation, straining her relationship with her mom. In the end, though, I was happy with the way things were resolved. There are some hints of romance along the way, but it’s very slow burn. It’s almost frustratingly slow, but I think there’s also a great lesson in these characters trying to figure themselves out before diving into something they weren’t quite ready for. I overall enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more books by Emma Lord.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Getaway List. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 8, 2024 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Young Adult 0

Lunar New Year Love Story

By Gene Luen Yang & LeUyen Pham

Coming soon on January 9, 2024!

(5 / 5)

Lunar New Year Love Story is a graphic novel that follows a Vietnamese-American teen, Valentina, over the course of a year. According to her grandmother, her family has always been unlucky with love, and Valentina fears that she’s destined to the same fate.

I don’t usually read graphic novels, but this one caught my interest when I was able to get a sneak peek of the beginning. I’m really glad I gave it a chance, because I loved the story. The illustrations are great, conveying the emotions and personalities beautifully. While on the surface this book seems to be about Valentina trying to see if she is doomed to never find true love, there is so much more to it. It explores family relationships, friendship, grief, and finding forgiveness for past mistakes. Another central theme of the book is lion dancing, which is a hobby that Valentina starts and really enjoys. I enjoyed learning a bit about Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean cultures. I was really impressed everything about this book!

Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst for the free advance copy of Lunar New Year Love Story! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 29, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

A Fragile Enchantment

By Allison Saft

Coming soon on January 2, 2024!

(4.5 / 5)

A Fragile Enchantment is a young adult fantasy romance with a historical feel to it. We follow Niamh, a common girl from Machland who has the ability to stitch emotions into fabric. A talented dressmaker, her creations have received enough attention that she is asked to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in Avaland. The groom is Prince Christopher, more commonly known as Kit, who has a questionable past, abrasive personality, and is obviously not marrying by choice. As Niamh and Kit begin to bond, it creates a complicated situation while political unrest builds in Avaland.

I really enjoyed reading this book… it was so immersive and hard to put down, that I found myself reading well into the night. Niamh was a likeable character who cared deeply about the well-being of her family and those around her. Though life at the palace was a very foreign world for her, she was dedicated to her work and made friends along the way. Her relationship with Kit was quite complicated, but I liked how much they challenged each other and brought out the best qualities in each other. Both of these characters showed a lot of growth over the course of the story. The political undertones made the story even more complex, and it had me guessing as to what secrets lurked beneath the surface. It was one of those books where I was sad when it came to an end because I had enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Fragile Enchantment! Opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 25, 2023 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

On the Plus Side

By Jenny L. Howe

Coming soon on December 26, 2023!

(4 / 5)

Everly has not really been herself since the loss of her grandmother, and she’s afraid of being “too much” – too loud, too colorful, too big. So it’s easier to hold a job where she doesn’t have to show her art to other people and dress in dark colors to blend in with background. Then everything changes when she’s nominated to be a guest on her favorite reality TV show, On the Plus Side, a show that puts plus size people under a positive light. It’s an opportunity to find herself and follow her dreams, but it also means big changes and being in the spotlight. Add in the Thor lookalike from work and the grumpy cameraman from the show, and things could get interesting…

As a plus size person myself, I was drawn to this book that features a plus size main character. I really love the positive outlook it has for people of all sizes, stressing pride in who you are and not being afraid to show your true self. There are several plus size characters, so it gives our main character, Everly, a place to feel seen and like she belongs. The show she is on concentrates on both fashion and life changes, so it was great to see her embrace her art and look at how she could make a career out of it. Everly was a character that I could really relate to, and I loved watching her grow over the course of the story.

Of course, with this book being a romance, we know going in that there’s going to be a relationship that blossoms through the story, which I really enjoyed as well. There are definitely some ups and downs along the way, but it was great to see Everly find someone who truly respects her for who she is. It was a heartwarming story that made me feel like I could learn some things about myself along the way.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of On the Plus Side! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0