Hello! I’m back again to talk about another arc I was able to read through NetGalley, which turned out to be one of the most masterfully musically written works I’ve read in a while. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

This post will be talking about The Lost Love Song, a contemporary romance by Minnie Darke that is definitely more than meets the eye. From the vague synopsis I surmised that this book would center around a musician who struggles to write the perfect love song for someone they love, which eventually gets lost though time, until it is rediscovered down the line and masterfully crafted into what it needed to be all along. Well, that’s partially correct. What I found while reading was a story exploring grief, compassion, love, and the impact the lives of people you’ve never met can have on your own. It was an incredible reading experience, and made me want to pick up another book by this author to see if her lyrical writing is a common style, or was simply a choice (and a choice made well, in my opnion) for this novel.

The Lost Love Song follows Arie Johnson, a man grieving after the loss of his fiancée, Evie Greenlees, a woman searching for a place where she belongs, and Diana Clare’s lost love song that always finds its way to where it’s needed the most. All three of these storylines weave together in the most intricate way that allows the reader to explore these characters (and several others) on a personal level. That must seem like a vague synopsis, but I find that the less you know going into this book, the more magical the journey you follow becomes. So I’m keeping it vague. Sorry. Just a little.

This book is a quiet, character driven novel that explores grief, loss, and relationships in such an beautiful way, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The way the lives of these characters are intertwined was pleasing, and I must commend Minnie Darke’s prose for allowing me to become encapsulated into the story. I loved seeing this relationship blossom between two older characters, and felt it captured all its awkwardness and beauty quite well. The structure of the novel felt like a musical number – starting with a prelude, followed by seven parts with inteludes dispersed among them, and ending with a coda. The strength here really is in the writing. While occassionally I found some of the descriptions a bit excessive, they ultimately helped craft a picture of these characters and their lives before we got the chance to meet them, as a sort of inisight into their actions. We got to see how past actions and experiences helped them navigate current situations, and how they used the lessons they learned to make decisions that would impact their future.

I also found much joy in following the journey of Diana’s song throughout the interlude chapters. The first time I encountered one it took me out of the story a bit, especially when those characters did not appear at the start of the next section, and I think it took me going back through the chapters after completing the novel to really appreciate both their placement and what they added to the story. I loved how the lives of some of these side characters affected our main pair, while others were just a means to an end, bringing the song and all of its glory to the places where it needed to be. It may be jarring for those reading it for the first time, and I can completely understand that criticism. For me, I found the aspect of Diana’s song impacting the lives of so many, changing into whatever the current player needed most, and bringing an important message back to the person it was meant for in the first place added so much depth to the story, and I continue to be in awe.

I am incredibly grateful I was able to read a copy of this book early, because I’m sure I’ll be thinking about its idiosyncracies for a while, even long after its release. I think those who have experience in music will greatly enjoy this novel, as there are several nods to the artistry sprinkled throughout. Even still, I highly recommend anyone pick this book up, as the story is a powerful and lovely one to read. The Lost Love Song is being released on October 13th, 2020 in the United States, which is the day this post is scheduled to go up so please join me in wishing it a happy book birthday and celebrate by ordering yourself a copy. **Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Places to find The Lost Love Song:
Amazon
Goodreads
Minnie Darke’s site
Penguin Random House

Hello! I am here to review an ARC I read on NetGalley that I didn’t realize was being released so soon because I apparently have no concept of time in the year 2020. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

A while ago, I heard everyone talking about the book I Hope You’re Listening, a mystery thriller by author Tom Ryan. Since the main character, Dee, hosts her own podcast, a lot of people were comparing it to Sadie, a young adult mystery thriller released in 2018 that is extremely well-known for its inclusion of a podcast element. I have not yet read Sadie (though I’ve been told I might enjoy it), but I was still intrigued to see what was so enticing about Tom Ryan’s novel. We do get transcripts from Dee’s show, narrated by her persona The Seeker (used to hide her identity), and I’m sure the audiobook will do an incredible job with those sections. Let’s get into what I thought about the book itself.

Ten years ago, an adventure to a tree-house in the woods left Delia “Dee” Skinner alone after witnessing the abduction of her best friend, Sibby. Now seventeen, Dee, still haunted by her past, has vowed to help other victims by starting an anonymous true crime podcast, Radio Silent. Cloaked by her identity as The Seeker, she features missing persons cases and works with an online community of sleuths to solve them. Dee carefully curates her cases and is able to keep her distance, but when a little girl goes missing from her old hometown, it opens doors previously thought closed and just might answer the questions she’s had since Sibby’s disappearance. But how far must Dee go to find out the truth?

I don’t read any thrillers very often, especially YA ones, but I found this to be interesting and fast-paced once the action got started – when things really went south I was in it for the long haul. It took me a while to get into this book, if I’m being honest, but I’ll chalk that up to only reading it while physically at my work office (which is only two days a week). After I finishing, I really appreciated all the little bits of information sprinkled throughout the first half that came together in the end, which is usually a sign that the author is leavng clues for the reader to be able to solve the mystery themselves if they’re looking hard enough. Dee’s survivor’s guilt affects her almost every day since the incident, and I loved how the book explores how this guilt can sometimes skew your perception of other’s people’s reactions to the same situation – you’re ostracized because you believe no one else can truly understand how you feel, and they spend all their time avoiding certain conversations because they’re afraid of saying something wrong. Eventually, that guilt eats away and makes you act irrationally – say things you don’t mean and lash out at people who may not deserve it. I wish Dee and Sarah could have spent more time together, so we could see more development in their relationship. It was nice to see a saphic relationship that went mostly un-questioned, but personally I felt Sarah was just included so the protagonist could have a romance. I’m not saying it was unnecessary, I was just hoping for more time for their feelings to develop. And I sometimes found Burke to be a bit of a filler character, which was a shame because he was such an important part of the book’s beginning. I understand why he distanced himself from Dee when the action started heating up, again I just wanted more.

Overall, I found I Hope You’re Listening to be a fairly intriguing mystery thriller. I did not predict the ending, though I found the chain of events to be plausible given what was revealed throughout the book so it didn’t feel inorganic. I am interested to see what other readers think of the book, and if those who have also read Sadie find the comparison to be accurate. I Hope You’re Listening will be released on October 6th, 2020 (which is the day this post goes live, if everything works out), so join me in wishing it a happy book birthday, and if you’re in need of some intrigue this month (or any), I recommend picking up a copy for yourself. **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Places to find I Hope You’re Listening:
Amazon
Goodreads
Tom Ryan’s site
Albert Whitman & Co.

Hello! I’m here to talk about a book I claimed using points on BookishFirst, ended up loving, and am already looking forward to the sequel even though it has just released. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

When I saw that Skyhunter, the newest book released by Marie Lu, was up for raffle on BookishFirst, I knew that it was going to be one of the most popular choices. So I used 2000 of my points to claim a copy almost immediately, which ended up being a good call because redeemable copies ran out extremely quickly, and I don’t have the best luck with entering the raffle. I wasn’t expecting a finished copy to wind up at my door just a week or two later, and, in my opinion, it’s physically stunning – beautiful cover design with a signal figure sillouette, “Skyhunter” on the edges, and even under the dust jacket the hardback is nicely textured with a dark colored ombre and the title printed in white. Thankfully, the inside was just as stunning, and I can’t wait to talk about it.

Talin and her mother fled from Basea, a country that was taken under Federation control, to Mara, the last remaining free country, when she was only eight years old. Now she is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as Mara’s last line of defense. As a refugee, Talin knows first-hand the dangers if the country falls into Federation control, especially now that their scientists are engineering an army of beings known as “Ghosts.” A mysterious prisoner crosses into Mara’s borders, and on the day of his execution, Talin must decide if what he knows can lead Mara to victory, or will be the cause of its downfall.

I’m not really prone to pick up dystopian novels, besides The Hunger Games back in the day, and Station Eleven when everyone was talking about it, but something about this particular synopsis intrigued me. Who is the mysterious prisoner? Why does Talin feel inclined to save him? Does he yield the power to stop the intruding forces of the Federation? And what’s the deal with these “Ghosts?” Well, all of my questions may have been answered and explained, but the ending just gave me more questions that I will be patiently awaiting the answers to in the sequel, when it is released. I found the balance between description / backstory and action to be one of this book’s strengths – the reader got to experience the present while reliving / learning about the past with the main character. The stakes were always high – whenever the characters entered an action / battle scene, I was never sure if everyone would make it out alive or unharmed, which increased the suspense and kept me reading to find out. And while I’m not usually a fan of zombie books (which the “Ghosts” in this book essentially are), I did find some of the science behind them to be fascinating, especially in terms of their blood and how it behaves in certain situations (without giving too many spoilers). The book also provided commentary on attitudes towards minorities and people with diabilities, as well as classism and elitism in terms of job rank, which I found poignant. And a key theme throughout the novel is loyalty – loyalty to own’s country, own’s family, and own’s Shield. As the tagline states, “loyalty is life,” but will it cost someone theirs?

I was especially impressed with the level of character development for our main cast, and I will focus specifically on Talin, Adena, and Jeran. Each individual has stories from their past, which shaped their attitudes and way of thinking, and has affected the choices they make in the present.
-For Talin, she is a refugee Striker, the first of her kind. The only reason she was allowed on the force was because her former Shield, Corian, was able to convince leadership to let her join. Many fellow Strikers refuse to think of her as an equal, because she communicates only through sign language and people refer to her kind as “rats.” So why does she remain, to fight for Mara? Because her mother risked everything to get her to safety all those years ago, because Mara is not the enemy, the Federation is, and Mara is the only homeland she has left.
-Adena’s brother, Olden, brought her to Striker practice to take her mind off her mother’s death, and helped her train when she became interested in joining the force. They were each other’s Shield, and protected each other until Olden was captured at the warfront and was shot down by Federation soldiers before Adena could reach him. On the Striker compound she yields a weapons shop, where she is contantly trying new ideas to increase efficiency against the Ghost army. She continues this because she believes that using her random talents, the very things her brother encouraged, can help avenge his death.
-Jeran was taught at an early age by his father that the Senate was a place for esteemed young men. But when he struggled with his exams while his brother, Gabrien, passed with flying colors, he tried to prove himself amongst the Strikers to hopefully rival his brother and win back some of his father’s love. However, Jeran faces abuse at the hands of both his father and Gabrien, so part of the reason he joined the Strikers was to learn how to fight back, even if the abuse did not cease. Jeran chooses not to let other pity him, and makes it clear he wants people to respect his position because of his skills. Sometimes abuse will not cease, even if you outrank your abuser – in Jeran’s case it was never about rank, it was about making him feel utterly powerless. Adena, his Shield, reminds him those that hurt him are not family, they are monsters, and sometimes “your family can also be the poison in your life.”

In conclusion, I firmly believe that Skyhunter is a strong dystopian novel that will keep readers on their toes, flipping through every page to see what happens next. Marie Lu has expertly crafted a world where everyone thinks they are fighting for the greater good, but it may be their downfall. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks about this novel. Skyhunter is released on September 29th, 2020 (which is the day this will be posted, if everything goes well), so if you’re at all intrigued, I highly recommend picking up a copy. Hopefully you won’t be disappointed. **Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher, Roaring Brook Press, for the finished copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own.**

Places to find Skyhunter:
Amazon
Goodreads
Marie Lu’s Twitter page
Macmillan

Hello! I’m trying to catch up on some of my arc reviews I have to post, so hopefully I’ll be able to get those out as soon as possible. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

I’m here to talk about another book I claimed using the points I’ve accumulated on BookishFirst, How it All Blew Up, a young adult contemporary novel by Arvin Ahmadi. BookishFirst is quickly becoming a site that introduces me to new books I would’ve never known were releasing, makes me excited to enter into their weekly raffles, and entices me to review books they’ve featured so I can earn more points (which obviously means more books). At the end of July, this book popped up as the weekly raffle, and the synopsis drew me in I was interested enough to even spend 2000 of my points to ensure I received a copy. I wasn’t expecting to find a hardcover finished copy in my mailbox a few weeks later, so that was a rather nice surprise. Since the release date is near (and by near I mean today) I thought it was finally time to talk about my thoughts.

Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi, along with his sister, Soraya, and their parents, are in an airport interrogation room recounting the events of the past month that lead to a verbal and physical altercation on an airplane from Italy to the United States. What started as Amir’s way to escape a classmate blackmailing him and almost forcing him to come out to his family became a trip to find an identity for himself in Italy. Late nights with newfound friends, dates to dinner and the Sistine Chapel, and ignoring all texts and calls from his family become the new normal. The question is, if Amir was settling quite nicely into life abroad, how did it all blow up at once?

**I would like to make a quick disclaimer regarding discussions about this author I have found while reading other reviews of this book. There have been claims made that the author, Arvin Ahmadi, has attacked reviewers of his book (I’m not sure if it was specifically How it All Blew Up or his earlier works), quoted reviews without context in a negative light, and has dismissed valid criticism. I did not find out about this until after I had finished my copy, so this information had no primary impact on my review. Even though I cannot confirm if these events did occur, I will say that if they did, I do not condone any author’s dismissal or attack of reviews in any way, as reviews are primarily meant to assist other readers. I urge you to look into the matter and decide for yourself if you would like to read any of his books.**

I was pretty drawn to this book when I read the synopsis and the first few sections – otherwise I wouldn’t have redeemed my points for it. Young adult coming of age contemporary is what I often gravitate towards, and I was hoping this one could be another great book to add to my collection. While I do think the concept was strong, I did have my issues with it, which I’ll definitely touch on, but I’ll start with some positives first. This book is a pretty short read, my copy coming in at 266 pages, and I found myself finishing in just about two sittings. I thought the interview format mixed in with flashbacks was an interesting style to take, and it created a balance between Amir telling the story about what happened to the Customs officer (and the reader), and for us to see things unravel in our own time. I also liked hearing from Amir’s family, because oftentimes they are absent from YA stories. I loved following Soraya as she put the pieces together to find her brother, and her discussions on how she felt left behind while also feeling partially responsible for Amir taking off to Italy. The book also disusses the struggle for familial acceptance. A large part of this book is Amir fleeing to avoid coming out to his family after being blackmailed by a fellow classmate. He doesn’t feel like they would accept him, in part due to their religion and beliefs. And through the interviews, we see his parents outwardly struggle with it. We get to hear about their thoughts and fears, and follow their personal journey along with Amir’s physical one. Which, I felt, was one of the strongest parts of the novel.

Ok, so, now onto the things I was a litle underwhelmed by and less excited for. First, for such a short novel, I felt the pacing was a bit off. 200 pages in with very minimal conflict and then we’re hit with an event that makes everything spiral for the remaining 60. I also had a few issues with the believability of the novel. Sure, I don’t doubt that Amir would have found people who would help get him on his feet in a foreign country, but I find it a bit hard to believe it would happen on his first night there. A lot of events just felt like pure coincidences for the sake of moving the plot along, so as much action could happen in the span of one month. Sometimes things like this won’t bother me – I will acknowledge that fiction is fiction, and sometimes I do need to suspend my disbelief a bit – but I found it happening a bit too often for my taste. I thought the description was a bit misleading when it claimed “Amir has to tell the whole truth… or risk losing his hard-won freedom.” While yes, the situation seems serious – Amir and his family are in an interrogation room after being escorted off a plane – the tone never seemed heavy. I never really believed any of them were in danger – the book definitely made slight commentary about the situation, but I never feared for any of their safety. And lastly, I won’t get specific, but early on in the novel it’s hinted that there is an infamous “nipple” story. Some people mentioned in early copies there was a scene regarding a nipple, and I wasn’t sure if it would make it into the finished version. But it did. It made me uncomfortable, I felt it was absolutely unnecessary and put in for simple shock value, and it just would never happen. If you stumble upon this review and need a warning about this particular scene, you’ll find it in the section “Eleven Days Ago,” but you’ll see it coming. You can skip the few paragraphs (about a page) and not miss anything storywise.

In conclusion, this book is messy. It details a boy running away from his issues and arrival in a place where he can learn to embrace his identity and all the things that comes with it. And while I do have to commend it for some of its conversations, I will admit it’s not without its problems. I’d call How it All Blew Up a mixed bag for me, but can understand that other people may be able to get more out of it. How it All Blew Up releases on September 22nd, 2020, which is the day this post goes live, so happy book birthday, and thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher, Viking, for the finished copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Places to find How it All Blew Up:
Goodreads

Hello! August was not as busy in terms of reading advanced copies, so I might be able to keep up and not fall too far behind this month! **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

Today I will be discussing The End, a young adult dystopian mystery by Mats Strandberg. This was originally published in Sweden in October of 2018, but has been translated to English (translation by Judith Kiros) and will be released later this year. A few months ago, I was scrolling through the Read Now section on NetGalley, and came across this book. I saw it was a young adult novel about the end of the world, downloaded it, and may or may not have forgotten about it until I finally picked it up this month. I remembered next to nothing about the plot (so imagine my surprise when the murder mystery aspect kicked in) but still wanted to give it a shot. Well, here are some of my thoughts.

On May 27th, the world learns that a comet, later named Foxworth after the scientist who discovered it, is heading towards Earth, and that all life will cease to exist after September 16th. A few months later, with only a few weeks left until the comet hits, Swedish teen Tilda is found dead, and the town is convinced her “obsessed” ex-boyfriend, Simon, is responsible. He joins forces with Lucinda, Tilda’s former swim-team mate and best friend, in order to find the true identity of Tilda’s killer. Will the two of them find out what truly happened that night, or will the end come without them ever knowing peace?

If I am being completely honest, I truly did not enjoy my experience reading this book. However, with that being said, I am able to recognize aspects that can appeal to other readers. So to start off with some things I did find interesting, there is a lot of social commentary found both on the page and between the lines. The end of the world is near, and the book truly highlights different ways people cope. Some turn to religion for a sense of community, while others shift to the extreme end of the spectrum and follow a radical extremist group that promises life after the end for believers. Some aren’t able to cope at all, and end their lives before the comet can. Some take advantage of the time they have left and do things they’ve always wanted, while others stay at home to avoid any danger. There is a lot to unpack and I believe that some great conversations can be had with topics brought up in this novel.

For some of the things I didn’t enjoy:
–Writing style – this is written in dual POV, following Simon as a narrator, and Lucinda, who is writing on TellUs, a platform used to preserve the last communications of Earth’s inhabitants to be read by other worldly beings in the future. What I noticed was that Simon’s sections focused primarily on action and moving the plot forward, while Lucinda’s focused primarily on giving the reader context and background to the story. If this was intentional, I noticed, and it felt jarring when it switched from present day action in Simon’s POV to character history in Lucinda’s. It could be said that Simon was more focused on moving forward towards the end, and Lucinda was more focused on remembering the past, I just wish there could have been more of a balance between the two points of view.

–Characters – I felt like there was a fair amount of character growth for our two main narrators, Simon and Lucinda. Simon goes from partying the end of the world away to spending time with the people in his life who actually matter, and Lucinda learns to let people in instead of pushing them away, and that even though she is sick she is still capable of love. However, a lot of the side characters felt heavily underdeveloped, and I kept mixing them up in my head. Several times I switched Miranda, Lucinda’s sister, with Molly, Tilda’s cousin, who each play a significant yet unique role in the story. Simon’s friend group, save for Johannes, was just a conglomeration of teenagers, and I forgot that Lucinda’s dad was still around because he’s mentioned so little except for when he and Lucinda are fighting.

–Plot – For the most part I did find the plot engaging, and I agree that adding a murder mystery twist on an end-of-the-world story made it stand out. My issues lean towards how the mystery is actually solved. Simon and Lucinda had a list of suspects, and each time they decided to interview those suspects they immediately knew the context of the situation and provided information about why they didn’t commit the crime. Then out of nowhere, one line leads them straight to the answer. Personally it felt stilted and rushed, but that might be preference more than anything.

In the end (pun not originally intentional, but now completely intended), I am grateful for the opportunity to have read a copy of this book. I truly believe that readers who want an end-of-the-world story will find something to love in this novel, and I hope they do. It just did not work for me, and I hope The End is put into the hands of the right audience who will love it for what it is. The End is being released on October 6th, 2020 in English, so if you’re at all interested in the premise, maybe consider picking up a copy. **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Arctis Books, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own**

Places to find The End:
Amazon
Goodreads
Mats Strandberg’s site
Simon & Schuster

Hi there! I’m here to finally talk about the last advanced copy I read in July. Hopefully, I can get back on a better schedule soon and won’t have my reviews be so long after I finished the book, but we’ll just have to see. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

Today I’ll be discussing some of my thoughts about Blazewrath Games, a debut contemporary fantasy by Amparo Ortiz. One of the taglines for this book was “experience the World Cup with Dragons,” and honestly I didn’t need to hear much else. But after reading more of the synopsis and finding out we follow a girl who wants to represent Team Puerto Rico as their Runner in their first international appearance in these games, and I requested the heck out of it. What I loved about this book is that yes, we follow Lana and her teammates, and the games themselves, but there is another layer of intrigue that keeps you guessing throughout the entirety of the book. There are also so many conversations about heritage and identity, and struggling to determine whether or not you do belong in certain spaces, or are you “no enough.” Amparo Ortiz has also shared character art of main character, Lana, and main villain, the Sire, on her Twitter (with credit to the artist Cosmoquences), which is just making me even more excited for the book’s release.

Lana Torres dreams of nothing more than competing in the Blazewrath World Cup as a Runner for her native country, Puerto Rico. So when the opportunity presents itself, she is incredibly eager to sign her name on the dotted line, but both her parents seem skeptical of the circumstances. Nevertheless, Lana is whisked away to Dubai to train so that she can bring home the trophy for her teammates, herself, and her country. But while she’s there, Lana is roped into a game far more dangerous to play, and she begins to think there is more at stake to lose than just gold.

All I needed to know before going into this book was that it involved dragons and a worldwide competition, and it truly did not disappoint. Each represented country has its own dragon species, equipped with their own capabilities to give them an edge in the games, and there are plenty more species that are un-bonded and kept in sanctuaries under the watchful eyes of people like Lana’s father. Before each chapter there are snippets from history books or interviews with characters to give more insight into the world, which added a lot of depth to the story, in my opinion. I thought the concept of the game of Blazewrath was unique and interesting, and definitely wish we could’ve been better acquainted with all the positions (but since Lana’s perspective moved the story forward, it made logical sense to focus mainly on the Runner’s task during the game). Each player and coach (and even the Sol de Noche dragons) had their own unique personality and quirks that made their actions and responses believable, and it was great to see players who did not see eye to eye rise above their differences and reach an understanding towards the end of the novel. I appreciated how a romantic relationship did not develop between Lana and Andrew, as I thought their friendship raised the stakes of the climactic action. The twists revealed in the latter portion of the novel also took me by surprise (in a good way), and during a second read-through I was able to pick up on a few clues I had previously missed, which made piecing together the puzzle of the novel even more entertaining.

There were some aspects I would have liked to see more of, one in particular being the relationship between Lana and her mother, Leslie. At the beginning of the story, it’s understood that Leslie is not a fan of dragons, and Lana is convinced that she would not support her decision to tryout for the Runner position (which is confirmed when she eventually finds out about Lana’s plan to join team Puerto Rico). After she signs Lana’s contract, she asks to be transported away, and Lana does not see her mother or have a legitimate conversation with her until after the climactic action, when it’s revealed she’s had a change of heart. I wish we could have seen some of that growth on the page. I also didn’t fully understand the purpose of Todd, Lana’s cousin, as a character. I suppose it could be said he acted as the extreme opposition, and in that extremism helped Leslie to understand just how much she was misguided about dragons and Lana’s choice to play Blazewrath. His interview at the end of the novel slightly confused me – he is on a talk show, essentially calling for the highest wizard class (Gold Wands) to eradicate all dragons, bonded or otherwise, saying that people need to wake up and realize the truth. I mean, unless there’s going to be a sequel in which Todd becomes the villain (which I would read in a heartbeat, honestly), it felt a bit out of place.

*edit July 2021 – There will actually be a sequel to Blazewrath Games, titled Dragonblood Ring, releasing in October of 2021, so perhaps we will see more of Todd and understand his motivations a bit better. I’m excited to see what more of this series will bring*

Overall, I really enjoyed some of the messages sprinkled throughout Blazewrath Games – the book touches on realizing your worth is more than just the weight of your accomplishments, facing a reality where family members may not support what you do, and being unabashedly proud of your heritage. This contemporary fantasy, in all its dragon glory, stole a little piece of my heart, and I can’t wait to see what other people think. If you’re at all interested, I highly recommend picking up Blazewrath Games when it releases on October 6th, 2020 (or, if you’re able, preorder it from a local indie bookstore – find one here). **Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Page Street Kids, for the e-copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own.**

Places to find Blazewrath Games:
Amazon
Goodreads
Amparo Ortiz’s site

Hello! I’m back to talk about another arc I was approved to read on NetGalley, and one I completely fell in love with. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts about Miss Meteor, a YA contemporary (with slight magical elements) written by Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia. It’s written in dual perspective where we follow two former teens on a quest to take down a beauty-queen-to-be. I am familiar with both of these author’s work, and will be picking up anything they collaborate on in the future. This whimsical story following friendship, family, love of all kinds, and identity of all kinds left me wanting to read so many more heartfelt books. I requested this on a whim, read it since I was approved, and was entranced by the beauty within. Additionally, the cover is stunning, is it not?

Over time, Chicky Quintanilla and Lita Perez fall out of friendship because the two are keeping their own secrets they’re not yet ready to share. But sophomore year of high school, the girls reunite under a common goal to take down local sweetheart (and school bully) Kendra Kendell and win “The Fiftieth Annual Meteor Regional Pageant and Talent Competition Showcase” themselves. With the help of their family and friends, Lita and Chicky come to realize that becoming Miss Meteor isn’t just about being beautiful – it’s about learning to love every part of you, even the things that make you different and special, and sharing who you are with the world.

This book was such a delight that absolutely stole my heart. The light magical elements that made it fantastical, the characters, the representation, and the sense of belonging carried me through to the end with a smile on my face. Mejia and McLemore wove together the lives of two girls who see themselves different as their peers, for their own reasons, but find solace in each other and their friends. You can tell from the beginning that both Lita and Chicky miss their former friendship – the two are opposites but brought out the best in each other, so when the opportunity presents itself for them to team up they can’t say no, and they slowly make their way back to each other, and learn to be okay with making mistakes about how to handle certain things, as long as your willing to learn. While I will admit when I saw this categorized as LGBT, I, along with a few other reviewers, believed it would be a romance between two childhood friends, but I loved the direction each girl’s romance went – their personal connections to their respective love interests were established prior to the novel as, aided by interactions throughout the book, felt entirely believable (friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so seeing it done twice in one book was definitely a plus in my book). And I appreciate how those romances are not the focal point. At heart, this is about believing in yourself, learning to love every quirk and feature that makes you stand out, and knowing yourself well enough to share those parts of you with the ones you love.

Woven throughout the story are underlying themes of racism, homophobia, transphobia. Sometimes it’s casual and subtle, an off-handed remark about Lita and Chicky’s closeness being something other than friendship, othertimes it’s an outright racist comment being thrown at one of the contestants while on stage at the pageant. Some passages were difficult to read, but the book never idolizes that mindset, and lends these topics in a way to lead to further discussions. There is also an absolute tone of acceptance, and finding people who will love and accept you for who you are. There may be people in this world who do not accept you, but that is through no fault of your own, and those people do not matter nearly as much as the people who will support you no matter what.

Miss Meteor was absolutely an unexpected gem. It made me laugh, cry, and filled my heart with so much emotion. I finished this book in one day because I just needed to make sure things worked out in the end for the characters. If you’re at all interested in pagents, discovering your own sense of beauty, strong familial bonds, friendship, and light fantastical elements, I HIGHLY recommend picking it up when released on September 22nd, 2020 (or, if you’re able, preorder it from a local indie bookstore – find one here.) **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperTeen, for this e-copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own**

Places to find Miss Meteor:
Amazon
Goodreads
Anna-Marie McLemore’s site
Tehlor Kay Mejia’s site
HarperCollins

Hello! I’m continuing on my never-ending quest to review the books I’ve been grateful to read before they’ve been released and share my thoughts about them (in the hopes of, most of the time, convincing you to pick it up as well). And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.

Today’s post is going to talk about Written in the Stars, a debut adult romance novel by Alexandria Bellefleur. I picked this book up in July, and it honestly gave me all the fall / winter feels I needed. I was approved for this book on NetGalley, and ended up being completely immersed in Elle and Darcy’s story. Two main aspects I really enjoyed when explored through the novel were that sometimes the best things can come to you in unexpected ways, so you can either turn away from them or embrace them, and when you learn that someone’s way of thinking may differ from yours, take an extra second before passing any initial judgement. I really enjoyed how the story was told, and am excited to pick up work from this author in the future (including a companion novel that may or may not follow Darcy’s brother, Brendon). But before we touch on any of those, I should probably talk a little bit more about Written in the Stars.

Darcy is a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud actuary who’s had her heart broken before and now has no time (or the patience) for romance. Elle is a free-spirited astrologer, hoping to one day find her soul mate. When the two are introduced by Darcy’s brother, Brendon, who happens to be Elle’s new business partner, the date does not go as planned. But Darcy lies and says they hit it off. So in order to get Brendan out of her business for a while, and attempt to get Elle’s family to take her more seriously, they concoct a plan to fake date – they learn everything there is to know about each other, agree to go on outings with the other’s family, and even set a termination date of December 31st. But the thing is, sometimes, love is simply meant to be, and is written in the stars from the very beginning.

I like to think of my feelings towards this book as the progression of Darcy and Elle’s relationship. I couldn’t get into it for the first few chapters, but as I got to know the characters and see their growth, I began to truly appreciate it for what it was (*this may have been to the state of mind I was in while reading, so I will not put the book at fault here*). Darcy and Elle are definitely a sort of opposites-attract situation – Darcy doesn’t believe in astrology, while Elle has made is somewhat of a profession running an account linking astronomical phenomena with human behavior, Darcy isn’t looking for love because she’s been hurt and closed herself off while Elle is looking for “the one.” Eventually, the two do develop a sort of understanding of how the other operates, and while they may not fully see eye to eye all of the time, they realize there is significance to what the other deems important, and respect it (maybe even love each other even more for it). I wish some of the side characters could have been explored a bit more, but that just gives me even more hope for book two, where Brendon might get his happily ever after, because he may seem as if he’s alright with all these failed attempts at romance, but he’s a sweetheart at his core and deserves true love too. There are scatterings of “which of these are you based on your horoscope?” which made me laugh, and even though I’m in between Elle and Darcy when it comes to believing in astrology, I thought they added a nice fun element to the story.

I think an important point of the novel is seeing how Elle and Darcy are carrying out their lives happily, despite what their parents may think. Elle was working towards her PhD when she realized she wasn’t happy, and quit when Oh My Stars started going viral. Her family thought she was burned out, having a quarter-life crisis, losing her mind, or throwing her life away. But Elle wasn’t doing any of those things – she was following an unconventional path that would lead her to happiness, despite what anyone else wanted to think. Darcy was trying to avoid her mother’s mistakes, finding a stable job with security after growing up with a mother who lost a bit of herself and had poor money management skills following a divorce. She also vowed not to lose a bit of herself, either, following a breakup with her ex-fiancé. Although they are unable to block out a sense of doubt all of the time, they are learning to come into their own, create their own paths to success, and perhaps prove to their families that they are creating their own joy.

This was such an enjoyable read that still comes to mind even a month after I’ve read it, and I just really can’t wait for the world to meet Darcy and Elle and fall in love with them, too. I’m excited to see what Alexandria Bellefleur has in store for the future, and I’ll be sure to pick it up, whether it’s still set in the world or not. If you’re at all interested in this slight grumpy / sunshine, astrology skeptic / believer, “enemies” to lovers romance, please consider picking up Written in the Stars when it’s released into the world on November 10th, 2020. You’re in for a great time. **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon Books, for the e-copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own**

Places to find Written in the Stars:
Amazon
Goodreads
Alexandria Bellefleur’s site
HarperCollins

Hi! I’m back again to talk about another review copy I received through NetGalley. This time, we’re talking about All the Right Mistakes, a debut women’s fiction novel by Laura Jamison following the lives of five women before and after one of them decides to tell the others’ secrets to the world. As someone who primarily reads YA fiction, this book certainly took me out of my comfort zone. It’s a slow novel, focusing on the personal and professional issues each woman faces in their lives, and it was certainly an interesting read that I’m glad I gave a chance.

Five women, Heather, Elizabeth, Carmen, Martha, and Sara, once a tight-knit group in college are now all approaching forty, and have encountered different obstacles on their journeys through life. Elizabeth, an attorney, is about to get passed for a promotion at work, and has struggled to have another child after her first. Martha, a former doctor, is torn between staying home with her kids after her baby is born or going back into medicine. Sara, an attorney, grapples between having more time at home with her four kids or taking a hefty promotion that will provide them with the money they desparately need. And Carmen, the only stay-at-home mom of the bunch, is dealing with a husband who may not love her anymore and an inability to get pregnant. When Heather, COO of her company FLASH, comes out with a book equating each of her friends’ lives to four major mistakes younger women should avoid, the group must decide whether they’re going to follow Heather’s advice, or prove her wrong. **trigger warnings for miscarriage, death of a child, and death of a significant other**

It took me a while to get into this book, and that might’ve been all the different perspectives, the short chapters, and the way all the women are intertwined into each other’s storylines. I enjoyed that each of the women had a distinct personality, and each of their character choices felt like natural reactions to the situations they faced. This book was a nice character study into the lives of these older woman, which, like I stated above, is definitely a change from what I usually read. I wish there was a different perspective from a woman whose major focus wasn’t on having kids, because I believe that could’ve been an important conversation to have (that being said *minor spoiler* I did appreciate where Carmen’s storyline went in that regard). It felt it a bit jarring when they would all go back and forth on whether they should forgive Heather for writing the book in the first place, especially Elizabeth, who had always felt the closest to Heather, and Sara, who thought the book did make some good points, but I liked the conversation the book had about how you can forgive someone for doing something to you, but you can’t forgive them for doing something to someone else – that is not for you to decide, and that forgiveness is solely up to the person who has been hurt. The conversation also touched on how there really is no complete map to success to follow – each of us have our own obstacles we have to face and challenges to overcome, and just because we may not reach these “milestone moments” when society deems it appropriate, that does not mean we are in any way a failure.

The longer it’s been since I’ve finished this book, the more I want to make this point. Each of us has a story. We can choose to share it with our friends, our family, our loved ones, or keep parts of it to ourselves, but ultimately it is our decision, and ours alone. The book touched upon Heather, a character who has found greater success than her four friends in college, believing she has all the answers because she has watched them make mistakes and struggle while she has risen to fame. But those stories, those personal anecdotes Heather included in her self-help book, were not hers to share. She did not consider how her actions would affect her friends in their personal and professional lives, and even when she claimed she kept it “anonymous,” the sheer act of tagging them in a post “thanking them for inspiration” alerted her audience to make the obvious connections. Even if Heather had good intentions of preventing younger women from making these same mistakes, that did not make it justified. It is never your place to share those stories, because when you think you’re sharing a novel you may not have even read a single chapter. I appreciated that the book did not make excuses for Heather’s actions, and that she did, in the end, make the right decision to rectify her own past mistakes.

In the end, All the Right Mistakes was a quiet book about women who’ve made choices in the past that perhaps were not the greatest, but it led them to exactly where they needed to be. They came together and, for the most part, were there for each other in their darkest moments and worked to support and build each other up. I believe that many will be able to find something to relate to in one of these five women. All the Right Mistakes is being released on August 4th, 2020 (which is the day after this post goes live), and I’m excited to see what people think. *thank you NetGalley and She Writes Press for the e-copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own*

Places to find All the Right Mistakes:
Amazon
Goodreads
Laura Jamison’s site
She Writes Press

And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.