Review: Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young (#Ad)

I was received this eProof for free from Quercus via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Published: 27th September 2022 | Publisher: Quercus | Source: NetGalley
Adrienne Young’s Website

From the New York Times bestselling author comes an evocative, compelling novel of ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love.

‘There were tales that only the island knew. Ones that had never been told. I knew, because I was one of them.’

Emery Blackwood’s life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. She’d once dreamt of running away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and chase new dreams together. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among this tight-knit community steeped in folklore and tradition, ruled by the seasons and ancient superstitions.

But when August returns after fourteen years to bury his mother’s ashes, Emery must confront her first love and the reason he left so abruptly. But the town wants August gone again. And as the island begins to show signs of strange happenings, the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s death once and for all. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features recreational drug use, sex shaming, sex scenes - one semi-vague & one not overly detailed, death of a parent, arson, a person being burnt in a fire, alcoholism, child abuse - violent, and domestic violence.

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Review: Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino (#Ad)

I was sent this finished copy for free by Titan Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Published: 12th September 2022 | Publisher: Titan Books | Source: Publisher
Tori Bovalino’s Website

Salem's Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market.

They'll lure you in with fruit and gems and liquor and dancing, merriment to remember for the rest of your life. But that's an illusion. The market is death itself.

Beneath the streets of York, the goblin market calls to the Wickett women -- the family of witches that tends to its victims. For generations, they have defended the old cobblestone streets with their magic. Knowing the dangers, they never entered the market -- until May Wickett fell for a goblin girl, accepted her invitation, and became inextricably tied to the world her family tried to protect her from. The market learned her name, and even when she and her sister left York for Boston to escape it, the goblins remembered.

Seventeen years later, Lou, May's niece, knows nothing of her magical lineage or the twisted streets, sweet fruits, and incredible jewels of the goblin market. But just like her aunt, the market calls to her, an echo of a curse that won't release its hold on her family. And when her youngest aunt, Neela, is kidnapped by goblins, Lou discovers just how real and dangerous the market is.

To save her, both May and Lou will have to confront their family's past and what happened all those years ago. But everything -- from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves -- is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in. And if Lou isn't careful, she could end up losing herself to the market, too. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, gore, body horror, internal organs, and descriptions of mutilated corpses.

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Review: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor (#Ad)

I was sent this review copy for free by GMC Distribution on behalf of Astra Young Readers for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

Published: 8th August 2022 (UK release date) | Publisher: Astra Young Readers | Source: Publisher
Maya MacGregor’s Website

In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary teen with autism realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life.

Sam Sylvester's not overly optimistic about their recent move to the small town of Astoria, Oregon after a traumatic experience in their last home in the rural Midwest.

Yet Sam's life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, the pretty neighbor. However, Sam can't seem to let go of what might have been, and is drawn to investigate the death of a teenage boy in 1980s Astoria. Sam's convinced he was murdered--especially since Sam's investigation seems to resurrect some ghosts in the town.

Threatening notes and figures hidden in shadows begin to disrupt Sam's life. Yet Sam continues to search for the truth. When Sam discovers that they may be closer to a killer than previously known, Sam has a difficult decision to make. Would they risk their new life for a half-lived one? From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, bullying, anxiety and a panic attack, self-harm stimming, misgendering, homophobia, biphobia, bi-erasure, and a physical homophobic and transphobic attack against a non-binary person.

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Review: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Orbit Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne

Published: 28th July 2022 | Publisher: Orbit Books | Source: Publisher
Mary McMyne’s Website

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in the tower, but do you know the tale of the witch who put her there?

Enter a world of dark magic, mysterious woods and evil princes. This is the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

But when her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the tower of legend-a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles behind the world Haelewise has always known.

The Book of Gothel is a lush, enchanting retelling of the tale of Rapunzel from the witch's perspective, perfect for fans of Circe and The Bear and the Nightingale. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, someone late to starting their period, semi-vague sex scenes, pregnancy, morning sickness, childbirth, reference to abortion, reference to stillbirths, child neglect, sexual assault and threat of rape, male rape, references to stoning, violence against women, anti-Semitism, suicide, and reference to torture.

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Review: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Published: 4th August | Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books | Source: Bought
Aiden Thomas’ Website

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, reference to drug use, unintentional ableist language: lame, transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, reference to deportation, xenophobia, racism, forced burning, and child abuse.

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Review: The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

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The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

Published: 4th June 2020 | Publisher: Andersen Press | Source: Bought
Ciara Smyth’s Website

Two girls embark on a summer of montage-worthy dates (with a few strings attached) in this hilarious and heartfelt lesbian rom-com that’s perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han.

Seventeen-year-old cynic Saoirse Clarke isn’t looking for a relationship. But when she meets mischievous Ruby, that rule goes right out the window. Sort of.

Because Ruby has a loophole in mind: a summer of all the best cliché movie montage dates, with a definite ending come fall—no broken hearts, no messy breakup. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters have fallen in love...for real.

Ciara Smyth’s debut is a delightful, multilayered YA rom-com that will make you laugh, cry, and absolutely fall in love. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features early-onset dementia, and flashbacks to difficult, upsetting moments.

Continue reading Review: The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

Review: The Movement by Ayisha Malik (#Ad)

I was received this eProof for free from Headline via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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The Movement by Ayisha Malik

Published: 21st July 2022 | Publisher: Headline | Source: NetGalley
Ayisha Malik’s on Twitter

With words come power. But do you speak out or shut up?

Every time Sara Javed switches on her laptop, checks her phone or goes outside, people are shouting. Everyone seems to be angry about something and she just wishes that they would all shut up. Until she realises that perhaps she should take her own advice.

At first people don't understand her silence and are politely confused at best. But the last thing Sara could anticipate is becoming the figurehead of a global movement that splits society in two.

The Silent Movement sparks outrage in its opposers. Global structures start to shift. And the lives of those closest to Sara - as well as strangers inspired by her act - begin to unravel.

It's time for the world to reconsider what it means to have a voice.

A sharply observed novel, charged with compassion and dark wit, that will spark important conversations about how we live, relate and communicate now. From The Goodreads.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features birth, death, bereavement, mention of racial abuse, and rape.

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Review: Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp

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Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp

Published: 15th September 2020 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | Source: Won in a giveaway
Marieke Nijkamp’s Website

FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.

For five friends, this was supposed to be one last getaway before going their separate ways―a chance to say goodbye to each other, and to the game they’ve been playing for the past three years. But they’re all dealing with their own demons, and they’re all hiding secrets.

Finn doesn’t trust anyone since he was attacked a few months ago. Popular girl Liva saw it happen and did nothing to stop it. Maddy was in an accident that destroyed her sports career. Carter is drowning under the weight of his family’s expectations. Ever wants to keep the game going for as long as they can, at all costs.

When the lines between game and reality start to blend with deadly consequences, it’s a race against time before it’s game over―forever.

Are you ready to play? From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, a reference to ableism, animal cruelty, broken bones, suicide ideation, poverty, references to a car accident, references to an off-page physical transphobic attack, addiction to prescribed medication, and finger dismemberment.

Continue reading Review: Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp

Review: She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

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She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

Published: 14th April 2022 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books | Source: Bought
Rachael Lippincott’s Website & Alyson Derrick’s Instagram

Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand... not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just...hasn’t actually talked to her yet.

Alex and Molly don’t belong on the same planet, let alone the same college campus. But when Alex, fresh off a bad (but hopefully not permanent) breakup, discovers Molly’s hidden crush as their paths cross the night before classes start, they realize they might have a common interest after all. Because maybe if Alex volunteers to help Molly learn how to get her dream girl to fall for her, she can prove to her ex that she’s not a selfish flirt. That she’s ready for an actual commitment. And while Alex is the last person Molly would ever think she could trust, she can’t deny Alex knows what she’s doing with girls, unlike her.

As the two embark on their five-step plans to get their girls to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they’re the ones falling... for each other. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features poverty, alcoholism, reference to racism, rejection of heritage, reference to drink driving, and reference to a car crash.

Continue reading Review: She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

Review: Rick by Alex Gino

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Rick by Alex Gino

Published: 7th May 2020 | Publisher: Scholastic | Source: Bought
Alex Gino’s Website

Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn't given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out.

But now Rick's gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school's Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, including Melissa, the girl who sits in front of Rick in class and seems to have her life together. Rick wants his own life to be that . . . understood. Even if it means breaking some old friendships and making some new ones.

As they did in their groundbreaking novel Melissa, in Rick, award-winning author Alex Gino explores what it means to search for your own place in the world . . . and all the steps you and the people around you need to take in order to get where you need to be. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features homophobia, bullying, asexual and aromantic erasure.

Continue reading Review: Rick by Alex Gino

Review: Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Published: 7th June 2022 | Publisher: Wednesday Books | Source: Bought
Dahlia Adler’s Website

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it’s an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie’s been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can’t stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart. From The StoryGraph.

The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features bullying, masturbation, misogyny, references to death by car accident, reference to drink-driving, reference to abortion and miscarriage, homophobia, multiple references to outing blackmail.

Continue reading Review: Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

I received an eProof for free from Orbit via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Published: 8th June 2021 | Publisher: Orbit | Source: Bought
Tasha Suri’s Website

One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne.
The other is a priestess searching for her family.
Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of powerful magic – but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one of several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to attend Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, as long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides. But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled... From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

;">Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features forced drug use, body horror, execution as entertainment, and people burning alive.

Continue reading Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Review: Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow {#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Hot Key Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

Published: 28th June 2022 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Source:
Rebecca Barrow’s Website

With compelling characters, broken friendships and complicated romances, Bad Things Happen Here is the irresistible YA murder mystery thriller: it makes your heart race, your toes curl, and your mind whirl with deadly secrets, dark truths and the innate need to escape a poisonous paradise.

The island of Parris: paradise or poison?

Luca Laine Thomas lives in Parris, the beautiful island plagued by the unsolved deaths of young women - most significantly, Luca's best friend. All Luca wants is to heal from the traumatic loss and leave her feelings of guilt and helplessness behind.

Then Luca comes home to find the police at her house. Her sister, Whitney, is dead.

Luca and Naomi, the new girl next door, decide to take the investigation into their own hands, and along the way their connection deepens. Soon, their casual touches and innocent flirtations become something way more real. But finding out what happened on the night of Whitney's disappearance reveals lie upon lie.

Nothing is as it seems. Will Luca's search finally reveal truth about her sister's murder? And will she unravel and escape the clutches of the curse and survive Parris? From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, vomit, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, reference to drug use, masturbation, reference to arson, reference to someone burning alive, a corpse, fatphobia, racism, self-harm, reference to discrimination of those with mental illness, suicide ideation, and reference to rape.

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Review: From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos (#Ad)

I was sent a proof for free by Harper360YA for the purposes of providing an honest review.

From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos

Published: 8th March 2022 | Publisher: Balzer + Bray | Source: Publisher
Rebecca Podos’ Website

Lambda Literary Award–-winning author Rebecca Podos returns with a rich, transporting, genre-bending contemporary Jewish fantasy about the power of history, the complicated nature of family, and the search for identity amidst it all.

Hannah’s whole life has been spent in motion. Her mother has kept her and her brother, Gabe, on the road for as long as she can remember, leaving a trail of rental homes and faded relationships behind them. No roots, no family but one another, and no explanations.

All that changes on Hannah’s seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror—the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn’t return, they realize it’s up to them to find the truth.

What they discover is a family they never knew and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed—one that stretches back to her grandmother’s childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family’s secrets—and confront her own hidden legacy in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.

Rebecca Podos, award-winning author of Like Water, returns with a contemporary fantasy of enduring love, unfathomable loss, and the power of stories to hold us together when it seems that nothing else can. From The StoryGraph.

The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, death, grief, a missing person, reference to dementia, intergenerational trauma, discussion of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, and reference of Nazis.

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Review: These Are the Words by Nikita Gill (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Macmillan Children's Books / Willow Publicity for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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These Are the Words by Nikita Gill

Published: 18th August 2022 | Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books | Source: Publisher
Nikita Gill on Instagram

From international poetry sensation Nikita Gill comes her highly anticipated YA debut These Are the Words: an empowering, feminist and beautifully illustrated poetry collection exploring all the things Nikita wished someone had told her when she was younger.

Reclaim your agency. Discover your power. Find the words.

Taking you on a journey through the seasons of the soul, in this collection Nikita gives you the words to help heal from your first breakup, to celebrate finding your family, to understand first love, to express your anger and your joy, to fight for what you believe in and to help you break some rules to be your truest self.

Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Nikita herself and featuring seasonal astrological poetry, this collection is an achingly beautiful, stunningly warm and fearless expression of truth from one of the most influential and well-known voices in modern poetry.

REMINDER FOR HEALING
You do not owe anyone your forgiveness.
The trees do not apologize to the wind that uproots them.
The rocks do not apologize to the erosion by the sea.
The stars do not apologize to the universe
when they are writhing and dying out.
And you are not obligated to forgive anyone
but yourself. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features anxiety, depression, non-graphic sexual assault and abuse, heartbreak, homophobia, biphobia, racism, misogyny, trauma and grief.

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Review: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (#Ad)

I was sent an ARC of the First Anniversary Edition for free by Usborne for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Published: Original Edition: 10th June 2021 , First Anniversary Eition: 9th June 2022 | Publisher: Usborne | Source: Gift / Publisher
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Website

A compelling, incendiary, and unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism with this compulsive debut.

Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer. - Aces

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public.

Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.

Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game... From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features anxiety and panic attacks, blood, reference to drug use and drug dealing, bullying, poverty, off-page sex scene, outing of a queer character, suicide ideation, non-consensual pornography, implied sexual assault, stalking, a fire building on fire, reference to police brutality, gun threat, a hit and run, homophobia, and instutionalised racism.

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Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

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Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Published: 27th March 2014 | Publisher: HarperVoyager | Source: Bought
Robin Hobb’s Website

The kingdom of the Six Duchies is on the brink of civil war when news breaks that the crown prince has fathered a bastard son and is shamed into abdication. The child's name is Fitz, and he is despised.

Raised in the castle stables, only the company of the king's fool, the ragged children of the lower city, and his unusual affinity with animals provide Fitz with any comfort.

To be useful to the crown, Fitz is trained as an assassin; and to use the traditional magic of the Farseer family. But his tutor, allied to another political faction, is determined to discredit, even kill him. Fitz must survive: for he may be destined to save the kingdom. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features child abuse, drug use/addiction, regerence to rape, abuse, misogyny, violence against women, animal cruelty/animal death, references to suicide, suicidal ideation, child abuse, ableist language, eference to paefophilia, and regerence to abuse of the disabled.

Continue reading Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Review: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Hot Key Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

Published: 4th May 2022 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Source: Publisher
E. Lockhart’s Website

The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars. From Goodreads.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads


My other reviews of We Were Liars Series:
We Were Liars (Book 1)

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling We Were Liars. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features forced cosmetic surgery, drug addiction to medication, implied alcoholism, attempted rape, implied homophobia, infant death, and drowning.

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Review: The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

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The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

Published: 9th May 2019 | Publisher: Little Island Books | Source: Bought
Meg Grehan on Twitter

Stevie is eleven and loves reading and sea-creatures. She lives with her mum, and she's been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie's mum teases her that someday they'll get married, but Stevie knows that won't ever happen.

There's a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more. Actually, she's a bit confused about how much she likes her. It's nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That's a new feeling, one she doesn't understand.

Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls - love them, even - but it's hard to get any information, and she's too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book. With the help of a librarian, Stevie finds stories of girls loving girls, and builds up her courage to share the truth with her mum.

Written in accessible verse 'chapters' and in a warm and reassuring style, The Deepest Breath will be of special relevance to young girls who are starting to realise that they are attracted to other girls, but it is also a story for any young reader with an open mind who wants to understand how people's emotions affect their lives. From The StoryGraph.

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Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features anxiety and panic attacks.

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Review: Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher (#Ad)

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Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Published: 26th April 2022 | Publisher: Titan Books | Source: Publisher
T. Kingfisher’s Website

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last. From The StoryGraph.

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Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features dementia, childbirth, references to miscarriage, references to abortion, reference to death during childbirth, infant death, references to cannibalism, violence against women, domestic violence and abuse, uxoricide, and references to suicide.

Continue reading Review: Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher (#Ad)