teens

Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins

(5 / 5)

Sunrise on the Reaping was a worthy addition to one of my all-time favorite book series. Rather than reading the book quickly, I found myself taking it slow, wanting time to process and take it all in. I was delighted by all ways it tied in with both the original Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It was a bridge between the books that I didn’t even know I needed. Anyone familiar with the series goes into this book with a good idea of how it’ll end, but that doesn’t take away from the impact it had. There’s some important messages here that were really thought-provoking.

Wandering Wild

by Lynette Noni

coming May 20, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book through NetGalley, but all opinions are completely my own. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity!

Xander is a teenage actor who needs to improve his public image after a car accident involving a DUI. To help, he goes on a survivalist show with a fan. But there’s a problem – Charlie ends up on the show with him, but she is most definitely NOT a fan.

I was excited to get an ARC of this book since I really enjoyed the author’s The Prison Healer series. While this story is quite different from the fantasy series, I really enjoyed it. There are some aspects of the story that are obviously stretches of reality to increase the drama, but I enjoyed reading the authors comments about this at the end of the book.

At first the book felt a little slow while the characters and their situations were being introduced. There were a lot of references to events in the past that were vague, so we don’t find out the actual details until much later. That said, I managed to puzzle some of it together with the clues that were dropped, and it gave the opportunity to learn things when the characters reveal them to each other.

I genuinely liked both of the main characters. They were likable and had depth to them, plus the chemistry between them worked well. I could really feel their emotions throughout the book. I enjoyed the variety of side characters as well, though some of the adults had me pretty frustrated with them at certain points.

Once things got moving, this book had a lot of intensity to it in multiple ways. The characters are in a survivalist show, so that introduced adventure and exhilarating experiences along with the fear when things don’t go as planned. But almost equally, there was an intensity in a mental aspect as well, with both main characters dealing with past events and the associated grief. The story really kept me on the edge of my seat and I had such a hard time putting the book down.

March 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

The Floating World

by Axie Oh

coming April 29, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

The Floating World is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series. It brings us to a unique world where a land mass is floating above an entire city that is left in darkness.

At first I was a little unsure about this book. There’s a lot going on in the beginning, with getting introduced to this strange world and learning about various characters. But the more I read, the more invested I became in the story. It was amazing how many things ended up being interconnected, almost like pieces of a puzzle coming together. This world definitely had some dystopian vibes to it too.

Our main characters are Ren and Sunho, who each have something they are searching for and end up finding each other. I loved these characters and felt like they had a lot of depth to them. Their interactions with each other were something I really enjoyed. Some chapters also follow a 3rd character, which gave us another angle to see things.

The book brings up a variety emotions. There’s action and excitement, friendships built, and some really sad parts too. I especially enjoyed the mysterious feel it had. The book ends a bit dramatically with some questions still left unanswered and issues unresolved. I’m looking forward to the next book coming later this year, because I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the free ARC copy of The Floating World! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 21, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Meet Me at Blue Hour

By Sarah Suk

Coming April 1, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

Imagine a technology that could erase unwanted memories… In Meet Me at Blue Hour, such technology is a reality, using sounds recorded on a cassette tape.

This story was very thought-provoking and had a unique feel to it. It really dives into the “what if” scenario of this fictional technology, highlighting both the advantages and negative repercussions that come with it. There’s an impact not only for those that are erasing memories, but the other people who are connected to them and shared the memories. Even a day after finishing the book I can feel the impact of the message it had.

In addition to the first person accounts of Yena and Lucas, our two main characters, we also have chapters that are narrated by objects that made sounds tied to memories, such as a lawnmower or ice cream truck. They almost feel like witness testimonials. It was such an interesting way to portray that aspect of the story, and I liked the added depth it seemed to give.

This story definitely had a sad undertone to it, but I enjoyed the main characters and their growth through the book. I wasn’t expecting some of the directions things went along the way, which only added to my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Meet Me at Blue Hour! I truly enjoyed the book and have provided my honest opinions.

February 11, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Sci-Fi Young Adult 0

The Encanto’s Curse

The Encanto’s Daughter #2

By Melissa de la Cruz

Coming March 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

The Encanto’s Curse is the 2nd book in the The Encanto’s Daughter duology and takes place a few months after the first book left off. I found this story had a similar feel to the first one, though it had more romance involved. I’m not sure if I was completely a fan of the love triangle aspect, but it added a bit of mystery about how who she would end up with (though I had a pretty good idea of how that would go). I thought the ties to Filipino folklore were interesting, with the manananggal sounding downright terrifying. The book definitely didn’t lack in action and excitement, so it kept me engaged and interested in the story. I was happy with how this series ended and liked that there were some directions the plot went that I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Encanto’s Curse! All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.

February 7, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Shampoo Unicorn

By Sawyer Lovett

Coming May 6, 2025

(4 / 5)

Shampoo Unicorn is a story that follows 3 LGBTQ teens who live in conservative small towns in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. They each provide a different perspective: the gay boy who everyone always just knew about and hosts a podcast, the masculine football player who is secretly gay, and a trans girl who is struggling to get through life until she can feel safe enough to live as her true self. Full disclosure: I am not LGBTQ myself, but as the parent of an LGBTQ teen, I enjoy reading stories that help me better understand those experiences.

At first I was a little unsure of the book. Each of the main characters’ portions are portrayed in a different perspective: 1st person (Brian), 2nd person (Greg), and 3rd person (Leslie). It took a bit to get used to, especially Greg’s 2nd person part. Plus we are also getting transcripts of Brian’s podcast, which I actually enjoyed a lot despite not being into podcasts personally. Once I got used to how the book was presented, I came to appreciate how the different perspectives gave each character a very distinctive feel and portrayed their individual experience especially well. For example, I found Greg’s 2nd person part to be very reflective and fitting for what his character goes through in the story. Leslie’s 3rd person perspective really drove home that she was undoubtedly a girl despite her male appearance, and we were seeing her authentic self. Leslie was actually one of my favorite characters, and I would have loved to see even more of her story.

I felt like this story was pretty character-driven, which I sometimes struggle with but actually enjoyed a lot in this book. I was impressed with the growth of characters, especially some of the secondary characters that were rather unexpected. I also appreciated the variety of LGBTQ experiences that were portrayed by fans of the podcast. This book turned out to be a heartwarming story that held a lot of meaning and left me with a sense of hope. What a wonderful debut novel – I look forward to seeing future books by Sawyer Lovett!

Thank you to Hyperion and BookishFirst for the free review copy of Shampoo Unicorn! My review is voluntary and all opinions are completely my own.

February 2, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction LGBTQ Paperback Young Adult 0

His Mortal Demise

The Last Bloodcarver #2

By Vanessa Le

Coming March 18, 2025

(5 / 5)

His Mortal Demise is the 2nd book in The Last Bloodcarver duology, and you definitely want to read these books in order. I’ll apologize in advance that my review will be a bit on the vague side, but I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the first book yet.

This book follows the perspectives of two different characters in different points in time. From the start we know that something miraculous has happened, and while one character tries to figure out what happened, we follow the other character through the months leading up to it. This all gave the story a mysterious feel, and it sometimes took directions that I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m not going to lie, there could be a very dark feel to this story at times, with grief, war, sacrifice, and questioning morals along the way. But there was also substantial character growth that was beautiful to watch. I’m glad that we were able to see many of the characters from the first book again and explore even more of this interesting fictional world. The last chunk of the book was especially packed with action and almost had a cinematic feel to it. And let’s not forget the absolute rollercoaster of emotions I experienced along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this duology, and I look forward to seeing more from author Vanessa Le in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of His Mortal Demise! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 11, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Heir, Apparently

By Kara McDowell

(5 / 5)

I absolutely loved The Prince and the Apocalypse, so when I saw there was going to be a sequel, I knew I had to read it. And holy cow, it did not disappoint. I devoured the book in a single day, which is not something that I usually do, but I just couldn’t put it down. I loved Wren and Theo as characters, with all the tension and banter between them that I loved from the last book coming back again. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible, but Heir, Apparently carried that same rollercoaster of emotions amidst tragedy, adventure, drama and romance. It was fun to meet some new characters along the way, giving the story a fresh dynamic. This duology of books was really well done, and I’d love to read them again!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Heir, Apparently! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Our Infinite Fates

By Laura Steven

Coming March 4, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

Our Infinite Fates had an interesting premise: two people, originally known as Evelyn and Arden, are fated to be reincarnated and find each other in every lifetime for hundreds of years, but each time one ends up killing the other before they turn 18. In present day Wales, Evelyn is determined to break the curse this time so she can save her ill sister.

From the beginning, I was drawn to the beautiful descriptions the book provided. Much of the story is set in the present day, but every couple chapters we visit a previous lifetime of Evelyn and Arden’s, gradually going farther back in time. It was interesting to see how their lives changed through different times, genders, and parts of the world yet other aspects of them stayed very similar. At times the book did feel a bit long and tedious – present-day Evelyn is repeatedly trying to understand why both of them must die before they turn 18, and while the past lives provide more variety, we know how it’s always going to end. Things do pick up a lot toward the end, and I was actually surprised how it all originated. As expected, this book had a lot of sad moments, though I was happy with the way it ended.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Our Infinite Fates! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 31, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Notorious Virtues

By Alwyn Hamilton

Coming April 1, 2025

(5 / 5)

In a world where magic is real and history reads like a fairy tale, the heiress to the most powerful family is murdered, initiating a set of trials to determine the next heiress.

In The Notorious Virtues, we follow the perspectives of four very different characters: Nora – the presumed next heiress of the Holtzfall family who appears to just be a spoiled brat; Lotte – an orphan deserted at a convent who discovers she’s not only part of the Holtzfall family, but a contender at being the next heiress; Theo – a knight whose family has a blood oath to protect the Holtzfall family; and August – a young journalist hoping to break a big story so he can have a better life.

I’ll be honest, it took me a bit to get into this book, I think because on the surface Nora seemed so unlikeable. But as I continued on, Nora’s character grew on me, and I enjoyed getting to know the other main characters better as well. The story had a lot of depth to it and went in directions that I often didn’t expect or see coming, keeping me guessing until the end. There were complicated relationships and challenges that characters had to face. It was interesting to see the social hierarchy, battles for power, and political atmosphere from the different perspectives, and there were so many intricacies to it all that made it feel like so much more than a typical young adult story. It appears that this book is the first in a series. I’m honestly not sure where this story is heading from here, but wherever it is, I’m looking forward to it.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for the free review copy of The Notorious Virtues! All opinions are completely my own.