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book review

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney [Ft. Teen Serial Killers And Dark, Dark Mysteries]

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Look, the title of this book did not lie. I finished it at 11pm and proceeded to sleep exactly never.

This is a chilling and addictive and gruesome thriller, and I’m kind of reeling but also so so impressed. I’ve read a lot of Ellie Marney books before (my favourites are her Aussie Sherlock series!) and this is just nothing like them 😂 We do love when an author flexes. The plot, the psychology aspect, the macabre elements are all a level up. You just get to a point too, where you cannot stop reading.

It is the story of murder, psychopaths, blood and trauma.

It’s told in a few perspectives, but mostly by Emma Lewis — a survivor of a serial killer. She escaped and ran, and she lived. The other girls in the killer’s basement died. So she’s haunted by that, which drives her to accept this offer from the FBI to come interview teen serial killers to gather data. They figure teens will talk to teens better. (Also this IS set in the ’80s so rules were probably not the same as now. I did sometimes wonder about security oops.) But the agent they’re working for hasn’t told them the whole truth: he needs them to talk to one specific teenage serial killer who seems to know quite a lot about a current open investigation for a murderer called The Butcher.

Hence Emma is enveloped in this intensely triggering and horrific case, where she cannot stop helping but she’s also getting knotted in deeper and deeper in as she talks to Simon Gutmunsson. And he’s taking an interset in her. (Like, let’s HOLD UP!!! When a serial killer says!! from his cell!! that he enjoys your company!!)

Emma also is working with another teen, Travis Bell, who’s already started his training to become a cop after his father was murdered by…..yup :))) Simon Gutmunsson.

So there are mind games and manipulation. There’s horror and rekindled trauma for the characters. And there’s mystery, twists, and complications. Getting inside these characters’ heads is chilling and fascinating.

(Also, while the author is Australian, this book is set in the US.)

How it told the story.

The writing is pretty clinical. So you’re not here for lyrical prose or waxing deep about anyone’s feelings. I did think that suited the style of the book – and kept the darker scenes from feeling too intense tbh – although usually I do like more emotional writing myself. (It actually made me think it would make a freaking good TV show.)

And look, I have no idea how this will hit different readers. For me, the actual plot of the story felt real. It felt like a documentary. But it was still YA so I don’t think it’s too heavy, especially at the beginning where it’s more case solving. Also there are less action scenes — more talking.

The ending though. THAT ENDING. THAT OMG ENDFINGGSGIHS–

There is no preparing.

A chilling and thoroughly horrible book — and I mean that in the best possible way

It’s so clever how they work out the mysteries, how they analyse depraved minds, how they interact with the imprisoned teen serial killers and try to understand, and try to stop it happening again.

None shall sleep, yup, I got it dude [sweats softly] never again.

“A girl created by a serial killer who hunts serial killers.” Simon’s lips curve in a quiet smile. “Farewell, dear Emma. Thou wert lovely to the last.”

Thanks Allen And Unwin for the review copy! None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney is out Sept, 2020.

Interviewing convicted juvenile killers for the FBI leads Emma Lewis and Travis Bell on the hunt for a serial murderer who targets teenagers. A riveting YA thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish.
It’s 1982, and the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers with valuable skills, are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.
When they’re drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and an incarcerated serial killer, nineteen-year-old Simon Gutmunsson, who is a super-intelligent sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s also an expert manipulator playing a very long game …
Can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer on the loose – or will they fall victim themselves?

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

what book has chilled you the most?? do you read many thrillers? let me know!

 

[Blog Tour] Far From Normal by Becky Wallace — Romcoms, Dogs, and Loveable Disasters!

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Today is my stop on the tour for Far From Normal!

I have so, so much to gush about right now 😍 so buckle up, we are in for a treat today. Not only am I going to tell you how much I adored this book, but I have the amazing author for an interview too! AND a giveaway. 😌👌🏻I am super hyped for this post.

From author Becky Wallace comes a Devil Wears Prada-inspired YA romance, in which “normal girl” Maddie must repair the image of Major League Soccer’s bad boy to ace her internship. Far from Normal releases on September 22nd, 2020 from Page Street Publishing!

Head over to my instagram to enter the giveaway!

THANK YOU TO MTMC TOURS FOR HAVING ME!

Maddie McPherson is sick of Normal—both her hometown of Normal, Illinois and being the ‘normal’ sibling. But when she lands a summer internship with a sports marketing firm, she finally has a chance to crawl out of her genius brother’s shadow. Not to mention, a glowing letter of recommendation could land her the scholarship she needs to get into her dream college.
But Maddie’s nickname is “Calamaddie” for a reason, and when the company assigns her to work with nineteen-year-old MLS star Gabriel Fortuna—who’s famous for crashing a Maserati after flubbing Italy’s World Cup hopes—she wonders if she’s set herself up for another embarrassment.
She takes the brooding soccer star to his appointments, and it’s going well—a bit too well. The more time they spend together, the more Maddie wonders if Gabriel’s lack of catastrophe has more to do with his flirtations than her abilities. Falling for a footballer is exactly how “Calamaddie” would botch this internship. But with the firm calling her a miracle worker for keeping Gabriel out of the tabloids, is her heart worth risking?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

In second grade, Becky Wallace had to sit in the corner because she refused to write anything besides princess stories and fairy tales (and because she talked too much). Her time in isolation gave her plenty of opportunities to dream up the fantasy worlds she’s been dabbling with ever since. She was lucky enough to find her own, real-life prince charming. They have four munchkins and live in a happy little town outside Houston, Texas.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

I had such a good time reading this!

Far From Normal is both thoughtful and delightful. It’s filled with those chaotic romcom moments we all expect and love, but also has layers that will leave your heart heart aching. I couldn’t stop reading. It had such perfect pacing. Here to stan a beautifully paced book. 😌👌🏻

Let’s talk about the story…

We follow Maddy McPherson, a very normal and average girl from a town literally called Normal. She’s travelled to Chicago to stay with her rich fancy aunt and intern for a PR company that is often smoothing and fixing up the image of cantankerous and difficult famous clients. And who does Maddy accidentally tumble into working with? The most gorgeous, hotheaded, difficult famous Italian teen prodigy futball player: Gabriel Fortunato.

It gives us ALL the romcom-office-feels: Maddy is treated like the coffee maker in the office by snobby bosses, she’s desperate to prove herself after being called normal and untalented all her life by her family, she’s clumsy and makes a few chaotic decisions, she sort of has a catastrophe with her aunt’s dog and a bike and Gabriel….

But it wasn’t just fluff (although I LOVE good fluff). It explored some deeper themes with a lot of care. I was worried Gabriel would be rude or awful, who’d have to learn to be “nice” — but he actually wasn’t. From the start Gabriel is this privileged soccer star, yes hotheaded and seemingly dismissive. But so much of it was a front for loneliness that really consumed him. No one cared about HIM, just him as a “brand”. His privacy is gone, his family has been disrespected because of his fame, fans have stalked him, people genuinely hate him for losing games. He just wants to eat good Italian food and play piano gently. He was actually so soft 😭👌🏻 I loved how the book discussed how being a public person is sometimes not even that person’s choice, and losing your right to BE YOURSELF (and have to get permission for everything you do) is so unfair.

And Maddy? Just a DELIGHT. I loved her!

She was so real and honest, so keen on doing the best job and working hard and earning her way. She was an absolute machine of goodwill and kindness. Always baffled when someone was cruel or mean. And she’s just been sidelined her whole life and left in the shadows and doubted. So she’s really desperate to be worth something. I cheered for her every step of the way honestly.

It mixes these soft and introspective moments about being forced to prove yourself, with chaos and quips and a swoony romance and delicious Italian food. It’s about two people who want to be seen for who they truly are, but don’t know if the risk of being vulnerable is worth it…

How did Far From Normal go from seed idea to published novel? Can you tell us a little about your journey?

Oh, dear. I knew I was going to be asked that question, but the answer is super embarrassing. Pretty much everyone has read chapter two by this point—and if you haven’t you can read it here. Quick summary: The main character, Maddie, is riding a bike along Lake Michigan with her dog, Watford. Watty dives down the stairs after a ball in a sand soccer tournament, which causes Maddie to crash the bike into the game.

So, yeah. That happened. In real life. To me.

Except I just suck at riding a bike. There was no dog pulling me down the stairs. (News flash! You can forget how to ride a bike.) I was in a dress and kitten heels, went over the handlebars, and into a semi-pro volleyball tournament. When I opened my eyes—the jury is still out on whether or not I had a concussion—I was surrounded by four shirtless men. It was…a moment. Like the most embarrassing moment of my life.

I figure things happen for a reason, and I’m convinced I crashed that bike in Chicago so it would spur this story. I ruminated on it for five years before I figured out the plot and characters. Luckily, my editor loved the concept of a normal girl who really wanted to stand out and pushed me to write Maddie’s story better. I’m honestly so pleased with how FAR FROM NORMAL turned out and I hope you will too!

I am definitely wincing that you went through that moment like Maddy 😩😂 Can you tell us 3 random facts about Maddie?

Maddie is tall—5’10” bare foot—and is super grateful that crop tops and pants are in style right now because that’s how most of her clothes fit anyway.

Her family always watches a movie together every Sunday night, complete with buttered popcorn and big boxes of candy. Her dad went through a phase where he wanted his kids to love the movies from his childhood, so Maddie has watched a lot of really awful (and sometimes awesome) ‘80s movies.

Maddie loves carbs. Noodles, pizza, cake, sugary candy—she eats it all. Which works in her favor because Gabe loves all those things too and takes her to some awesome restaurants.

Honestly this book left me craving pizza so bad. 😍 What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

Revising! Once I’ve nailed down a draft, I love going back and making it better. I actually thrive on really difficult edit letters. I mean… cry a little at first. But then I dive into the work and love the process of making a story gleam.

Oh I relate to finding that satisfaction of watching chaotic thoughts turn into a tight and polished manuscript. What’s your favourite line in Far From Normal?

It’s hard to pick just one because I love different lines for different reasons. I do adore Maddie’s sense of humor and her comedic timing. Here’s an example:

“Gabe flies down the hall, pulling an Adidas T-shirt over his head as he walks. I gape at the body that could have posed for Michelangelo. Or was it Donatello? Everything from last year’s humanities class flies out of my head when I’m presented with a real Italian masterpiece.”

And lastly (most importantly 😌) was any chocolate harmed in the making of this novel? 😉

Not just any chocolate, my friend. I ate my bodyweight in good, European chocolate. Having a friend for Sweden has benefits. I actually had to hide my stash from myself, which is nearly impossible to do. 😉

I’m definitely thinking I need to find some Swedish chocolate here…such solid advice. Anyway!! Thank you so so much for chatting, Becky, this was brilliant fun, and loved getting this insight into your work 💛

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let me know if Far From Normal is on your tbr pile!! do you read many romcoms? any recommendations?

 

[Blog Tour] One Week Of You by Lisa Williams Kline + INTL Giveaway and Aesthetics!

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Welcome to my tour stop for One Week Of the Heart!

I just finished reading this one yesterday and making an aesthetic for my tour stop so 😍 I hope you enjoy this post! One Week of You is a heartwarming coming of age story about first loves and hard truths. One Week of the Heart is a prequel novella to One Week of You that just released this week & it’s currently available for free on Kindle! And the covers for both are SO PRETTY.

THANK YOU TO MTMC TOURS FOR HAVING ME!

For Lizzy Winston, one week will change everything.
Fifteen-year-old Lizzy Winston has always been a good kid—and she sees the good in most everyone else, too. When she meets the charismatic Andy Masters, she starts crushing hard. He distracts her from other parts of her life that she’s trying to hold together. Her grades are slipping, she causes her mom to miss a new job opportunity, and her friends’ actions are making her question what’s right.
Andy seems like a great guy. He’s funny and charming, the Clown Prince of Lakeside High. He loves digging up news stories for the high school TV station, but he’s got some secrets of his own. As he and Lizzy get closer, she grows skeptical of his motives. When she does her own digging on Andy, she learns that everyone has secrets—no matter how good they seem.
Someone’s pulling pranks at Lakeside, and Lizzy thinks she knows who it is. When the pranks escalate and put students in danger, she must decide where her loyalty lies. She doesn’t want to get a friend in trouble, but if she keeps quiet, someone will get hurt. In one week, she learns that adulthood brings new, complicated responsibilities. Is she ready to do the right thing if it means losing her friends?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Lisa Williams Kline was such a daydreamer as a kid that she once stopped to pet a dog while running from third base to home in a neighborhood baseball game. Fortunately, she ended up as a writer, where daydreaming pays off, and is the author of ten books for young people, including Eleanor Hill (Carus), winner of the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award, Princesses of Atlantis (Carus), Write Before Your Eyes (Delacorte), and the 5-book Sisters in All Seasons series (Zondervan). Her most recent book, from Blue Crow Publishing, is One Week of You, with its companion prequel novella, One Week of the Heart. She lives in North Carolina with her veterinarian husband, Jeff, and numerous spoiled pets. Their two daughters visit frequently with their dogs and as can be imagined they have a howling good time.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

This is such a sweet and lovely reminder of what it is to feel young and industrious and ambitious.

And stressed. 🥰 The story is about 15-year-old Lizzy, who chronically forgets everything (she’d forget her head if it wasn’t attached) and is about to enter the most tumultuous week of her life. It’s the kind of book that’s full of school stress, and pranksters, and the anxiety of growing up. The learning curve Lizzy goes on is so swift, and it was great to see her growing as a person.

what goes down in that fateful week

It starts with Lizzy’s first crush on the new boy, Andy. Who is basically the class clown, self-appointed reporter, and flirts until she can’t stop smiling. Lizzy suddenly finds herself doing things she’d never usually do — all because of him. Plus there’s a malicious prankster at the school, setting off fire alarms, hacking the teachers’ laptops, putting everyone on absolute edge after all the danger alerts. Lizzy’s Health Class is also doing their Flour Babies week (take a bag of flour around with you all day, every day, as if you had to look after a real baby) and Lizzy is so forgetful and disorganised she’s terrified she’s going to lose her flour baby and fail.

All the things keep mounting up, higher and higher, and I found it so easy just to keep reading. There are plenty of suspects for the prankster, and it keeps you guessing.

Plus I felt so sorry for Lizzy 😩 she was so stressed and deserved better.

the characters

Lizzy narrates and she’s such an ambitious kid, she wants to be a doctor and do well in school, but honestly the overwhelm of this tumultuous week has her questioning if she’s even a good person. The book also has a lot of focus on Lizzy’s family! Her stressed and snappish mum, her lowkey but oblivious dad, her kind older brother who talks like Yoda and sighs at his sister, but still is there for her!

There’s lots of first-love feels between Andy and Lizzy…and Andy really is a dorky clown. He loves the spotlight on him, and Lizzy’s always just the Good Girl (though forgetful) and not paid much attention so she relishes that he suddenly has an interest in her.

I also appreciated the book talks about: how to tell if relationships are worth pursuing, the importance of not ditching your old friends, how you do not owe boys friendship especially if they’re angry at polite rebuttals. Boundaries are great and this talks a lot about them.

Overall it’s a sweet and taunt novel, one week spiralling out of control.

Lizzy is a winning protagonist and I kind of loved the nurturing, mothering bent throughout the book as Lizzy raises her flour baby and wants so desperately to be helpful to everyone around her. School pressure is real though, and just…poor kid. It’s perfect for younger YA readers too; the characters feel young and naive as they face new responsibilities.

Also the prequel novel (One Week of The Heart) is a quick glimpse at Lizzy’s experience at MedCamp, her fall out with her BFF, and how she starts realising she can love both cheerleading and medicine, despite the odds.

Win ebooks of One Week of You & One Week of the Heart! Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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September 15 – The Reader and the Chef

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September 17 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me

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September 19 – J Long Books

September 20 – Leighellen Landskov

September 21 – Diary of a Book Girl

September 22 – Books and Bookends

September 23 – Books Tales by Me

what’s the last contemporary you read? let me know in the comments 😍🙌🏻and what do you think of this one?

 

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron [Not Your Fluffy Fairytale…!]

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It’s time for Cinderella with a very different twist.

Which I am so here for! Also completely in love with this cover (both editions really) and I just realised that furious women in beautiful ballgowns ready to destroy the patriarchy is actually very very lovely. 😭 I also read this in just one evening and loved being able to be submersed in the world. It reads easily, but with leaves you with themes to deeply mull over.

let’s talk about the story

First off, it wasn’t what I was expecting (not a bad thing!) but I think you should go in knowing what type of story it is! I was expecting just a dark fantasy, but it’s more like a dystopian fantasy. It’s set in a fairytale kingdom style world…but with this dystopian twist. And I so appreciate how unique this was. It also took the perfect, pretty imagery of fairytales and showed us the warped twisted undercurrent of it: here the king is a monster, here the women are items to be owned, here there is no freewill. I’d pitch it as fairytales meets Only Ever Yours and The Jewel.

Women are treated horribly, abused and forced to attend the annual ball to find a “match” (aka a guy will choose them). If they don’t, they’re considered undesirable and go “missing”. There’s also magic. Witches in the woods and a bit of necromancy too. Literally has it ALL.

“What do you think needs to happen in Lille?” I ask.
She stares at me, her brown eyes glinting, a deadly serious look on her face. “I think we need to burn the whole thing to the ground and start over. The entire system, the ideals that have been woven into this society. It all has to go.”

the characters were so perfect!!

Sophia chose to breathe, and I chose to adore her. 😭😭 She truly is an excellent heroine. From muttering her opinion on the idiotic rules of this world under her breath, to questioning everything, to refusing to be crushed — she’s the kind of heroine you can’t stop cheering for. And she is an unapologetically lesbian. Even when her mother says to forget Erin and look for a boy, Sophia is like: “Okay. I have obtained A Gay Boy, is this how we do it.” Bless Sophia 😭😭(and Luke honestly, what a dumbass but I appreciated he tried to help).

Then we have Constance! She’s this vigilante who Sophia stumbles into, and they quickly decide running away isn’t enough: they want to burn the patriarchy down. Constance liked sharp things and had a sharp mouth, and honestly these two together were perfect. It didn’t feel instalovey either, and though the book is face-paced, their relationship felt natural. They found the same spark in each other, the inability to let things go, and they clicked.

Also Constance: *brandishes a knife*
Sophia: 😍✨🌷🥰💛💘🎀

It is bursting at the seams with ballgowns and defiance, of challenging the status quo and asking why again and again and again, until change is made.

It’s definitely a societal critique, and I loved how it unpacked the discrimination women face every day in our reality. It calls out men who say “I’m one of the good ones” but they still stand there and do nothing, and it doesn’t scorn feminine women, but loves on all types of girls. This whole book is a challenge to the world, and we love to see it.

With soft sapphic love and quips and triumph, it really was a fantastic read.

I don’t want to be saved by some knight in shining armour. I’d like to be the one in the armour, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.

Thanks Bloomsbury AUS for the review copy! Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron cam out Sept 1, 2020.

It’s 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but the fairytale is over.
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she’s tiny until the night she’s sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball … are forfeit.
But Sophia doesn’t want to be chosen – she’s in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia’s night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world …
An electrifying twist on the classic fairytale that will inspire girls to break out of limiting stereotypes and follow their dreams!

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

what are your favourite retellings? 😍have you read this one yet? what did you think?

[Blog Tour] Esme’s Gift by Elizabeth Foster — Whimsical and Wholesome Magical Fantasy!

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Welcome to my tour stop for Esme’s Gift!

This is the sequel to Esme’s Wish, which I’m also about going to review because you need to hear my thoughts on both these simply delightful books 😙 This series is a thrilling fantasy adventure series where Esme Silver must face her fears and find hope in the darkest of places. Perfect for readers 12 and over, especially for fans of Percy Jackson and The Chronicles of Narnia! It has such a crossover appeal too, so if you tend to like younger-YA or upper-MG, you’re going to love this one.

You can enter the giveaway over on my instagram too. 🥰

THANK YOU TO MTMC TOURS FOR HAVING ME!

Terror was within. Terror was without. Like her mother, she was at the water’s mercy.
In the enchanted world of Aeolia, fifteen-year-old Esme Silver is faced with her hardest task yet. She must master her unruly Gift – the power to observe the past – and uncover the secrets she needs to save her mother, Ariane.
In between attending school in the beguiling canal city of Esperance, Esme and her friends – old and new – travel far and wide across Aeolia, gathering the ingredients for a potent magical elixir.
Their journey takes them to volcanic isles, sunken ruins and snowy eyries, spectacular places fraught with danger, where they must confront their deepest fears and find hope in the darkest of places.
Esme’s Gift, the second instalment in the Esme trilogy, is an enthralling fantasy adventure for readers 12 years and over.

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

ELIZABETH FOSTER lives in Sydney, Australia, where she is hard at work on the third and final novel in the Esme series. Much of her inspiration comes from nature, especially the ocean. Her first novel, Esme’s Wish, for kids aged 10–14, has been enjoyed by readers around the world. Esme’s Wish is a recipient of a Purple Dragonfly award, an award which recognizes excellence in children’s literature. Esme’s Gift, the sequel to Esme’s Wish, recently won an IPPY medal for best fantasy. Find out more about Elizabeth on her website.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

This was such a lovely and delightful fantasy.

I truly use the word delightful because that just sums up my feelings so well. It felt like old style YA; younger characters, focused on friendships, the good ol’ trope of searching for missing parents, the whimsy and wonder of a wholesome magic system, and portals to other worlds! It also is set on an Island by the sea so that just made me personally happy because I adore the sea.

The story follows Esme as she refuses to give up on her missing mother, and ends up vanishing into a portal in the sea and finding the world of Aeolia. She finds more questions than answers, but makes some lovely friends and never stops pushing to find her mother. It’s a gentle fantasy; the world seemed so sweet and idealistic too. Sure there’s evil lurking, but most people are kind! The magic is so much fun — dragons, breathing underwater, everyone has a special gift, etc. There’s no romance, but just Esme falling into an easy and comfortable friendship with Daniel and Lillian (who have a childhood feud between them and are kind of bickery and adorable).

I dove into Esme’s Gift one straight after reading Esme’s Wish, and it was like being immediately engulfed back in a world of soft whimsy and wonder.

This time we have MAGIC SCHOOL and if you crave stories with friendship groups and interesting side characters, magical creatures, mysteries to solve, and elixrs to make — this one is for you.

The sequel takes off directly after book one ends. Esme comes back to her world to convince her father of Aeolia’s existence and her mother’s magical coma, but of course…her dad doesn’t believe any of it. Esme being gaslit in her world really made me angry 😩like her dad was so negligent. It’s a relief when she leaves for Aeolia again and her wholesome incredible friends, Lilian and Daniel. And okay this time, we’re more settled in the world, so the magic school aspect just made me comfortable and happy. Plus the world is so lovely. Definitely more on the black-and-white side (the good people are all really good and the bad people are pure snakes) and nothing gets too graphic or wild, so again, it’s super good for younger readers.

Also the friendships are so wholesome 😩💛 I love how they don’t doubt each other and there’s no hesitation before plunging into trouble together as they search for the elixir ingredients to save Esme’s mother.

Set in a sparkling and magnetically magical fantasy world, the Esme series is simply a delight, with friendship and mysteries and whimsy.

Win a digital copy of Esme’s Wish & Esme’s Gift! There will be three winners and this is open internationally.

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tell me what kind of fantasy you love the most 😍 whimsical or dark? and have you heard of this series yet?

Love Creekwood by Becky Albertalli [Back with the Simonverse Squad And I’m So Happy!]

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This was just a genuine wholesome delight. 🥺💛

It was like going back to be with old friends and catching up, seeing what they’ve been up to, and being so so proud of them. These kids!! They’re off to college and figuring out relationships! Their friendships weren’t just that high-school-convenience, they are deep and real and they care about each other aND I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS–

Also before I plunge into the review —  I just wanted to give all the love to Becky Albertalli’s recent coming out essay she wrote for Medium. It honestly broke my heart though. To feel forced and cornered to come out and figure yourself out NOW, just to appease people demanding a display and proof of “being queer enough” is not what this community should be about. It’s a toxic attitude quite frankly. No one should be forced to come out before they’re ready. It’s an excellent read, so I hope you have a look!

My biggest question is just: why is this not a novel!? 😂

It’s about 100 pages but there was so much to explore here?! From Simon’s disaster roommate to ‘Blue’ actually enjoying his life without being shy and closeted. To Leah and Abby figuring out how to be vulnerable to each other and say the word love. (THEY ARE COLLEGE ROOMMATES 😭😍) Simon’s slow spiral meltdown over the year out of anxious loneliness…I just…I cry for him.

Also I’m glad it touched on this idea that, no, sometimes it’s hard to make new friends and community and it isn’t weak or pathetic to miss your old life. New isn’t ALWAYS perfect for everyone. Simon breaks my heart, but I loved loved loved the novella’s resolution.

It’s all told in emails!

I loved this. They are extravagant and wordy, vulnerable and soft. There are lots of holes where they either hang out in person or texted, but the whole novella was still super cohesive. (But seriously why was it only 100pages 🤨 can I have 200 more.)

Overall if you missed Simon, Bram, Leah and Abby, you do need this. It’s perfect closure and it’s also funny and all the characters’ voices are so different. I loved every page. It left me smiling and warm.

📚 My review of the other Albertalli novels!

Thanks Penguin Australia for the review copy! Love Creekwood by Becky Albertalli is out Sept 1, 2020.

Fall in love all over again with the characters from the bestselling Simonverse novels in this highly anticipated epilogue novella. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, the movie Love, Simon, and the new Hulu series spin-off, Love, Victor!
It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship, and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom.
Now the Creekwood High crew are first years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began—on email.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

have you read any Albertalli novels!! which is your favourite? and have you seen the movie or the Love Victor TV show?

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner [Magic and Technology Collide!!]

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This is a story of survival and contrasts, culture clashes and secrets.

It has such a fascinating mix of technology and magic (I thought it was sci-fi at first, but now I think it’s epic fantasy!) with a city in the sky and a city down below — and neither acknowledging the other exists. Until a boy crashes his plane Below and finds this whole other world on the brink of destruction and a goddess with missing magical powers trying to save them all.

I was excited for a new series from this author duo!

I really loved Kaufman and Spooner’s first trilogy, These Broken Stars! The Other Side of the Sky gave me tons of similar vibes too: survival on an unknown planet, lots of odd creatures lurking in the jungles, and super intricate world building. I definitely think the focus in this book was world building > characters. I did like the characters, but the world was so vast and fascinating. There’s deadly mist that can murder you or bless you with magic powers. Steel can stop magic. There are plane gliders and engines that suspend whole cities thousands of metres up in the air. There are living deities vs calculating kings. Prophecies and destinies! If you choose to believe them…

The story is mostly set in Below. This world of harsh survival and rivers and jungle. Everyone mostly lives on boats in the water, and life revolves around the goddess who is meant to save them all. (There are also cultists who want to murder her, ya know. We all have our pests.) I reeeeally was interested in the sky cities though, but I have a feeling that will be in the sequel.

Below they think the people in the sky are gods. In the sky, they think there’s nothing Below. The collision of the two cultures when North falls to the ground is a clash of culture and confusion. North believes in technology while Nimh believes in magic. (And I did laugh how North is like “Science is real because you can explain it.” And Nimh is like, “Okay explain your watch.” North: “jafdskld um…sciencey stuff…ajfdkslad.” 😂😂😂)

The characters

Okay so we have two alternating points of view: North and Nimh.

Nimh is a goddess who can never be touched. She takes her job very seriously, but she’s lonely and worried she’s a fraud because her powers haven’t manifested yet. She thinks North is part of a prophecy that will save them all. She also has a CAT. The BINDLE CAT. Who is opinionated and demanding and wonderful!! 10/10 to the cat.

North is a lovely and polite dumbass, which we stan quite frankly. He’s a prince in the sky and he has lots of grand ideas and schemes, that are all…terrible. And go wrong. 😂I did enjoy his chapters the most.

There’s also lots of casual queer rep which was AMAZING. In the Sky, North has two mothers (his bloodmother and his heartmother 🥺💛) and he’s in love with his two best friends and they plan to all marry and make a Three! 😭💛 Down Below, there’s also sapphic side characters and none of this is questioned. It just is, which I really liked.

I do think though, that because the book was world focused, instead of character focused, I missed a lot of connection I’d love to have. Nimh goes through some things I was waiting for her to really be shaken by, but…she sort of just gets over it. North is supposed to be in love with his best friends but once he’s Below he barely thinks of them and really quickly gets this crush on Nimh. And the villain just didn’t seem scary to me oops.

it’s a thick and fascinating tome with intricate world building and layers of prophecy and entangled magic.

There are some great twists, aching loneliness in the characters, and desperation to be known and understand for who you are, not who you were told you should be.

Thanks Allen & Unwin for the review copy! The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is out Sept 1, 2020.

Two worlds, two hearts and a choice that will shape their fate forever.
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate unknown technology. But North believes his sky island is sinking. Its engines are failing, and the key to saving his home is to venture to the place the engines were first created.
Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the surface, responsible for providing answers, direction – hope. But in the midst of the surface’s worst crisis yet, a mist that spreads madness and poison, doubts have arisen among the people about Nimh’s divinity. She must find a way to manifest her power – before she is overthrown, and all is lost.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined – though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose to either save their people, or succumb to the bond that is forbidden to them.

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have you read any of the other books by these two authors? do you prefer scifi or fantasy? 😍

 

Fable by Adrienne Young [Dark And Gritty Tale of the Sea and Survival]

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Dark fantasy and books about the sea absolutely call to me.

I want them all. This was my first time reading an Adrienne Young book and I liked it! It had the right amount of description and action; heart-punching phrases contrasted with taut action scenes. It really was easy to read too. And it was quite dark. It’s set in this brittle, cruel world of ships and traders, knives and murder, and softness is not only unforgivable — it’ll get you killed. Fable is the kind of character thrown into situations where she should drown, but she just refuses to give up.

Though I swear she ate like two meals the whole book and this child is stressing me out. 🤨🙌🏻 Every time she went diving I was just accidentally holding my breath. So all the points to this book for making me realise my lungs are like little deflated grapes.

note: I read an eARC from Netgalley so I edited the cover in for the photo!

the story…

Fable is a dredger, skilled at diving for gems and staying underwater for ages. After her cold father dumps her on the most ruthless and cruel island ever to fight and work her way off, to prove to him she can survive this world, Fable does just that. She also gets tangled up with the crew of the Marigold so the book leans into found-family. It’s not technically about pirates, but definitely has that vibe to it. Lots of ship terminology and sailing. Bit o’ diving. I think the thing I was most surprised about is there’s no grand finale. I’m guessing the story will read like ONE just stretched over two books, but the petering out ending confused me. The ruthless beginning was my favourite.

It was a world poised on the tip of a knife.

the characters…

The world is really harsh, so all the characters are too. I did end up liking the crew of the Marigold! They’re a bunch of orphans and waifs, teens who are harsh as the sea but loyal as anything to each other. I just…wanted to get to know them better? Was hoping for like Dregs (from Six of Crows) sort of dynamics, but only Will and West get many speaking lines. Fable herself is admirable with surviving the hard world, but she’s not very dynamic and I couldn’t describe her personality. Definitely keen to see what book 2 brings!!

You weren’t made for this world, Fable.

Overall it’s a fantasy of cruelty and loyalty, of survival against a world that wants nothing more than to drag you under.

It felt like a rallying cheer to the underdogs, and definitely suits anyone looking for a sea-themed adventure where love is a terrible risk.

“I’m on the Marigold to crew.”
“No, you’re not.” She sighed, getting to her feet. “You’re on the Marigold to find a family.”

Thanks Wednesday Books on Netgalley for the eARC! Fable by Adrienne Young comes out Sept 1, 2020.

As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

do you like harsh settings and underdog characters?? tell me your faves and what you think of this one? 👀

 

The Mermaid, The Witch, And The Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall [Brilliant And Brutal!]

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This was just so brilliant and brutal, it will absolutely take you by the throat and not let go.

I was just not expecting to adore this book this much, and I’m so grateful it exists to grace our human eyes. It’s phenomenal. Definitely darker than YA usually dares to go, and yet so beautifully written. That contrast? I live for that kind of contrast.

both the world building and characters were incredible

Usually I find YA fantasy does one or the other, but we got both here? 🥺💛 My whole heart is aching. While I didn’t understand the full dynamics of the world (a lot happened off page, I felt) it was just so vast and dark and commanding. It also honed in to class separation, contrasting Evelyn’s life as nobility to Flora’s life literally in the muck and murder of the streets. Add in the chapters from Rake and the horror of a childhood where his town was taken over and colonised. (I wasn’t totally sure if the people groups were separated by fantasy-versions of our race, but the Empire was Japanese-fantasy inspired.)

would die for these characters!!

Well, for Flora and Evelyn!! The pirates on the other hand can go die by themselves!!! These aren’t your frolicsome robin-hood-esque pirates: these are marauding, evil, wickedness incarnate pirates. They murder, rape and pillage, and Flora is basically in a “cabin boy” (she goes by the name Florian) position along with her brother Alfie, because it was better than death on the streets.

The Dove is a ship that pretends to cart passengers to their destination, but halfway there, they stage an uprising and lock all their rich passengers in the brig and then sell them as slaves. It’s their running con. They also murder and drink mermaid blood as a kind of drug/alcohol.

Evelyn is the beautiful empire daughter, off to marry a rich unknown military husband. Flora is assigned to watch her so none of the men mess with her.

Together, they…💛💛💛😭😭 start feeling things. Their dynamic is teacher/student as Evelyn shows Flora how to read, and then they turn to friends, and then soft crushes, and then escapees and lovers. 🥺 They will ruin you with their soft, yearning love. They are each other’s safe place, but they also  give each other this knowledge that they can be loved in this world that has always deemed them disgusting or unwanted.

“We don’t just read to imagine better lives. We read to be introduced to all kinds of lives. Any kind. Not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us. To understand others better. It’s escape, and it’s also a way to become more connected to everyone around you. There’s power in that, you know. In understanding. It’s like magic.”

Flora/Florian is Black and genderfluid (this is discussed on page!!), and mostly uses she/her pronouns though not always. Evelyn is Japanese (fantasy version) and maybe bisexual since she does crush on Flora as Florian too. Evelyn and Flora are so gentle together, challenging each other’s beliefs and privilege.

The story also has chapters by Rake (a pirate spy who secretly serves the Pirate Supreme and wants to take down the Dove and its twisted captain) and the Lady Aya and Genevieve who are also not who they seem. I actually liked their chapters too, because it rounded out the story and gave a lot more depth to the world. ALSO the Pirate Supreme is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns on page!! (Okay I am just SO EXCITED TO FINALLY READ AN UNAPOLOGETICALLY QUEER FANTASY.)

the story is…

Brutal, beautiful, gallant, tragic, hopeful. It’s literally got everything, including the witches and mermaids in the title! It does NOT spare you, but it won’t leave you gutted like poor gasping fish either (well, mostly 😌😙) The middle did get a bit slow though, and the witchy section confused me a bit, but honestly pfft @ my two braincells. I marched on and loved it.

But I will say that Alfie deserved way way better and I would cry for him. He was too soft for this world, and I ached that Flora sort of despised him for it. I would totally take a spin-off about Alfie!!

tl;dr list of why to read this

  • queer romance of softness and yearning
  •  nonbinary and genderfluid rep
  • dark, despicable pirates
  • sea voyages and island stays
  • complex sibling relationship 🥺
  • that time Evelyn gets a gun and shoots someone and Flora just goes 😍😍😍

“I was aiming for his heart,” Evelyn admitted a little sheepishly.
Evelyn. Evelyn with a pistol! Flora felt a strange pride billowing in her heart. She wanted to take Evelyn in her arms and kiss her the way a pirate out to be kissed.

Overall, just this book is everything I want in a fantasy and it was exquisite and painful, dark and sewn with hope.

Thanks Walker Books AUS for the ARC! The Mermaid, The Witch, And the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall comes out Sept 2, 2020.

A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic.
Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, as the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is en route to a dreaded arranged marriage with her own casket in tow. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian.
Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood, which causes men to have visions and lose memories) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, and the all-encompassing Sea itself.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

do you like pirate or sea-themed books? any favourites? 👀 also tell me if you’ve read/want to read this one!

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger [Lipan Apache Magical Realism of Ghosts, Magic And Murder]

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You know when you read a blurb and think, “Oh this is going to be the best”…and then IT IS!!

I just had that moment. I’m very pleased. Elatsoe is such a brilliant delight of a book, that is both whimsical and lovely, and also has darkness and thoughtful themes to untangle. It has #ownvoices Lipan Apache rep and Ellie is also asexual (the book doesn’t talk about being aromantic but seems likely too!). My little ace heart just leaped for joy at just having casual ace rep on page. The book is full of magic and ghosts and a super sweet (ghost) dog and pistachio ice cream and deep family love and ties and…oh a murder mystery to solve.

It has it ALL.

PS. I did edit the cover into my photo as I read an eARC!

let’s tell a story of magic

I really loved the emphasis on storytelling throughout the pages. The book is packed with love for indigenous traditions, and a lot of Ellie’s life lessons come in the form of stories from her parents. Ellie is also a huge fan of her Six Great Grandma, who had the same power as Ellie: the ability to ask ghosts of animals to return from the afterlife. This magic is super fascinating (and Ellie sort of toes the line between using it safely and not). Ellie’s companion the whole way through is her little ghost dog Kirby, who died of old age but she brought him back so she’d never have to miss him. 🥺💛💛 My heart just got soft and flopped all over the place.

The world is also our world but…not. It’s this slightly alternate reality where there’s magic and vampires and ghosts and all sorts of mythology. Ellie’s still dealing with racism and white men who think they’re better than everyone else. But there’s dark magical secrets and mysteries to unravel. And sometimes Ellie sort of wakens a thousand year old trillobite too. Just everyday things you know!! This is such deft and beautifully crafted magical realism. I loved the world.

what goes down

So the premise is that Ellie’s cousin dies unexpectedly, but the facts about his “car accident” don’t add up, and Ellie knows it’s foul play. She ends up investigating this odd little town where people don’t stop staring at strangers, and when her cousin’s ghost names his murderer in a dream, Ellie will stop at nothing to figure out WHAT happened. The have the culprit, but not the why or how.

It did get creepy in one stage and I was reading at night and was just sort of shivering. The writing is excellent like that. Total fan. Freak me out, little book, I approve.

the  characters are everything!

So Ellie is amazing!! She has such a dry, wry voice and humour, and she’s so sure of herself. She’s confident about being ace and she cracks jokes about it. Her family is her anchor, and she’s definitely a little anxious too.  There’s no romance! Her best friend is Jay who is, look I’m going to say it, a himbo. 😂 He is a tall blonde cheerleader dumbass and he’s just lovely?! The whole way through he is LOVELY. Supportive of Ellie and there to help her look into the mystery of her cousin’s murder. Ellie’s family is amazing (she loves her parents!! talks to her parents!!) and there’s such a motley of side characters who are interesting and strange and dynamic. And Kirby is THE BEST GHOST  DOG I WILL CRY tHIS ALWAYS.

So you know what?! Just read this.

It’s brilliant. The whole world felt fresh and different, catching my attention from the first page with its engaging writing and characters I just want to adore forever. (There are also little illustrations!!) It has heart-aching moments, and also funny humorous parts. The BEST combination.

Thanks Levine Querido Publishing for the eARC! Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger came out in August 25, 2020.

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

would you actually like to talk to ghosts or is that a pass? 👀and is this on your TBR, because it should be!!