when a monster stopped being a monster, did it become something else? -Kristen Cashore, Graceling
a god tier cover The Midnight Lie★★★★★Marie Rutkoski It’s a midnight lie... a kind of lie told for someone else’s sake, a lie that sits between goodness and wrong, just as midnight is the moment between night and morning. The Midnight Lie follows Nirrim, a lower-caste girl living in the home of her middle-caste adoptive… Continue reading The Midnight Lie Messed Me Up (News at 11)
the cause of my heartbreak Jade City★★★★★Fonda Lee “Expectations are a funny thing,” Wen said. “When you’re born with them, you resent them, fight against them. When you’ve never been given any, you feel the lack of them your whole life.” Emotionally, I feel like I was just hit by an entire truck. In the… Continue reading Yes, Jade City Really Is That Good
me every three pages of this book about tenderness between rivals, sapphics, and flawed villainy: You couldn’t depend on much in this world, but you could depend on this: love brought nothing but death. Where love existed, death would follow, a wolf trailing after a wounded deer. In the world of Zulla, about 80… Continue reading I Am Still Losing It About Crier’s War by Nina Varela, And Here’s Why
The Grief Keeper★★★★★Alexandra Villasante The Grief Keeper follows Marisol, an immigrant from El Salvador applying for asylum in the United States with her sister Gabby, who she's attempting to protect. When her asylum request gets turned down, she's given an opportunity to stay in the U.S.: to literally take on the grief of another girl about… Continue reading The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
Code Name Verity★★★★★Elizabeth Wein When Caitlin from my wonderful local indie bookstore recommended Code Name Verity to me (in the category of ‘historical fiction + kinda gay), she told me that 1) I would be obsessed, and 2) I would want to reread this book as soon as I finished it. She was right about… Continue reading So, You Finally Read Code Name Verity, and It Made You Cry
Freshwater★★★★★Akwaeke Emezi “You must study the pattern of the shattering before you can piece it back together.” Freshwater is an exploration of how one must acknowledge the mixing of their realities to find peace with themselves. Following Ada, who has multiple gods contained within her, this brilliantly-written little novel goes into the point of view… Continue reading Reminder that Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi Is So Good
Mayhem★★☆☆☆Estelle Laure 2 1/2 stars. I see what the author was trying to do with this book: the 80s-Stranger-Things vibe, the concept of vigilante justice, the storyline about abuse. I only wish these aspects translated.This book follows Mayhem, a high school junior who has recently escaped an abusive situation with her mother, Roxy. The… Continue reading The Slight Disappointment of Mayhem by Estelle Laure
Lobizona★★★★★Romina Garber Okay, I haven't decided on a four or a five for this one yet. But I do know I'm absolutely obsessed. Lobizona follows Manu, an undocumented immigrant confined to her home both by ICE and by her starry eyes. When her life at home falls apart, she escapes to the magical world of… Continue reading Blog Tour: Lobizona by Romina Gardner
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