Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ!
Strangers in Our Heads by Bri Eberhard is YA romance with an interesting Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ!
Strangers in Our Heads by Bri Eberhard is YA romance with an interesting twist. I really enjoyed the foster family background, and the found family aspect of the book. There's grief to struggle through, and I thought it was very well handled. Not taken too lightly, but also not overtaking the whole story or characters.
There's quite some dark parts, so beware trigger warnings if you don't like dark themes. I thought it gave the story a good depth that is often missing in similar stories.
I was quickly drawn in both by the tone and voice, as well as the mystery behind it all....more
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
The Youngling: Synesthesia by Stephen Harrington is a coming off Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
The Youngling: Synesthesia by Stephen Harrington is a coming off age book, that has a few rather dark moments,but still mostly feels like a YA story to me.
While not perfect, it has a cute little puppy / best doggy friend, and so easily managed to hook me.
I liked the main character, but found the plot a bit disjointed at times. There's more than one POV, which only slowly show how they are connected. The switch between didn't always feel organic, and the pacing just could be a lot smoother.
He world building however was interesting, and a main strength of the book for me. I liked the different races and creatures as well as the airships and the expectation of meeting something new.
The end was a bit unsatisfactory, and instead of making me want to read the sequel right away, as some cliffhangers or open endings do, it didn't really work for me.
All in all it was a quick and entertaining read, which I don't regret....more
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
If the Walls Fall by K. Malady is not my personal cup of tea.
I'd pRead for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
If the Walls Fall by K. Malady is not my personal cup of tea.
I'd put it on the YA shelf, due to its prose and story, but the spice level in some bits is more New Adult. The MC is a young woman who definitely wants to satisfy her hormones, and there's plenty of talk about condoms and her favourite spicy scenes from books all the way through the book.
This was the main problem for me, the whole story felt too easy and predictable. The voice and tone was fine enough for me to finish the book, but the big reveals and fight scenes just fell really flat. Either I saw it coming from miles away, or it felt like a hyped up moment was just handled within two paragraphs.
I did not enjoy the typical girl who is not special, but has to decide between two boys trope. The romance in itself felt a bit half baked even to me, and I'm not even a romance reader. It just didn't really feel organic to me.
I did like how the main character didn't turn into a perfect fighter within two minutes, but actually stayed herself throughout the book.
All in all an entertaining book, I don't regret reading, but with too many flaws and inconsistencies....more
King's Imitation by Erin Grunke is an interesting YA fantasy, which can easily appeal to older readers looking for an easier read.
There's a handful ofKing's Imitation by Erin Grunke is an interesting YA fantasy, which can easily appeal to older readers looking for an easier read.
There's a handful of characters, so enough to feel epic, but not so much as to be confusing. There are some of the typical coming if age tropes, but I really enjoyed there not being a big romance arc or love triangle! There is just a dash of romance, not more than in series like Wheel of Time for example.
The world building was intriguing, but could have done with a bit more depth here and there. As the plot was easy to fall in, and the voice was catchy, I didn't overly mind it. I did like the different "races" who have special talents, but the twists were just a tad too obvious and predictable for me. In a YA novel I'm way more forgiving about that sort of thing than I'd be in adult fantasy, as the target audience probably hasn't read hundreds of fantasy books before, so will not see it coming nearly as soon as a "veteran reader".
I liked most of the action scenes, and especially how magic was included, just at the end it seemed to get a bit unfocused.
All in all, this was a good story that kept me hooked all the way through!...more
Death's Emissary by Emily Devereux is a really promising debut.
It'll appeal to fans of YA fantasy, mythology and everyone who just love3,5* rounded up
Death's Emissary by Emily Devereux is a really promising debut.
It'll appeal to fans of YA fantasy, mythology and everyone who just loves Death as a character, like I do.
I was so happy there didn't seem to be a romance at first, but alas, with almost any female lead YA stories, it was to come after all.
I especially liked the start, the training and learning about the world. While it had quite some of the tropes, it was engaging and interesting and easily held my attention.
The second half felt a bit disjointed at times, and the action sequences didn't always grab me as much as they should.
The world building and voice kept me reading and entertained to the end though....more
Super Powereds: Year One by Drew Hayes was recommended to me, when I asked for urban fantasy without romance.
This was free on audible, or I definitelySuper Powereds: Year One by Drew Hayes was recommended to me, when I asked for urban fantasy without romance.
This was free on audible, or I definitely wouldn't have finished it.
It's a bunch of kids who have special powers going to school, only everyone else there has had their powers under control. Our main characters have powers that they had no control over, but are used to try out a new way to actually give "Powereds" control as well.
So I don't generally have a problem with YA, and I actually love a lot of school settings, but this was quite annoying a lot of the time. Staying with there being quite a lot of "who will sleep with whom" , when I asked for no romance... I mean it might be very accurate for the age group, I'm just not interested in it, and never have.
There's oh so many stereotypes. The muscly but not very wise one, the D&S playing super softy who's naive and a bit of a push over, the typical "let's find a girl for the night" stuff. The girls actually do get agency and page time, but the "what shall I wear" or the "I am allowed to like shopping, I'm a girl" just got tiring. It definitely read like a teen boy wrote what he thinks girls think...
This apparently this was a web novel or something line that before, which explains why there is no actual clear plot line, but it feels more like disjointed chapters or together, each quite episodically in themselves. I don't mind that, but an edit to just smooth some switches for the book version would have helped.
All in all it was good enough to keep me listening to the end, but I definitely won't pick up any sequels.......more
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
Dragon Princess by Jason P. Crawford quickly grabbed my attention Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
Dragon Princess by Jason P. Crawford quickly grabbed my attention by having a blind main character. I especially liked how she managed to be independent, and get around by counting steps, and having a service dog to help. So her blindness felt a lot more realistic, than in some other books, where it's more of a gimmick. My one niggle is a few scenes, when she can see through someone else's eyes. I've never been a fan of circumnavigating disabilities by magic. However if someone who has been blind since birth suddenly sees, I don't think they could immediately understand what everything is...
Another MAJOR plus for the book is, having a girl main character and yet no romance! These are incredibly hard to find, and we need more books like this!
The story in itself felt a bit too easy and too predictable, I'd say it would fit with a middle grade age well. It's a bit dark for that age group at times, but that's where I'd put the writing complexity. However for adults it's just too much on the light side to be fully satisfying.
Queen of Blood and Blasphemy by Levi Jacobs is the final book in the series. It manages to close the major arcs satisfactory, but also leaves enough oQueen of Blood and Blasphemy by Levi Jacobs is the final book in the series. It manages to close the major arcs satisfactory, but also leaves enough open room for further books in the same world.
I did enjoy the utter normality in how our main character is bi (or demi?). She's torn between two people, and the gender just doesn't play a part in the attraction. This is quite refreshing, especially in a coming of age story. Double kudos for it being written well enough to not bog down the whole story, but just being one part of the characters, with saving the world, or not, taking center stage.
I would have liked a bit more depth and complexity every so often, but overall this was a very enjoyable read!...more
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik is hard for me to rate.
I did enjoy it, but I didn't love it nearly as much as I did the two previous books.
I reallyThe Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik is hard for me to rate.
I did enjoy it, but I didn't love it nearly as much as I did the two previous books.
I really enjoyed the darker bits, the way no one came out of the Scholomance unscarred. However El and her reactions to the enclaves felt a bit out of character.
The plot was also a bit disjointed, or at least felt that way to me. We jump around from place to place, and I didn't feel like there was as much resolution as I'd have liked plot wise.
Some things just felt a bit too convenient as well, so while I enjoyed the characters and the world, it was more the story itself that didn't work as well for me.
All in all a quick read, not bad at all, just not up to my expectations....more
Yin and Yang is a rather predictable fantasy with the chosen one being a young woman, who meets a very reserved young soldier, wh3,5 stars rounded up.
Yin and Yang is a rather predictable fantasy with the chosen one being a young woman, who meets a very reserved young soldier, who is just drawn to her. I definitely liked that the "romance" part in here is so slow, there is just a tad of attraction, but no surrounding drama yet.
I did enjoy how the Yin is a strong woman, taught to be a fighter with special magic, but she's also not afraid to cry. So often the "strong female characters" are just stubborn, annoying and good at everything just because.
Yin definitely is stubborn as well, but she is willing to work hard, and actually sacrifice for what she believes in. I enjoyed having a woman who isn't just extra graceful and immediate godi at everything.
Despite this, it's still quite full of tropes. So if you are looking for something fresh and surprising, this book will definitely not be your right choice. If you're however looking for something easy to digest, it's definitely worth a look....more
The Lost Redeemer by David Musk had a strong coming of age / young adult flavour to it. I personally am happy to read both YA and adult fantasy, so I The Lost Redeemer by David Musk had a strong coming of age / young adult flavour to it. I personally am happy to read both YA and adult fantasy, so I didn't mind, but if you're looking for a very epic series with adult characters / themes, this might not be for you.
I did like the tone and voice of the main character, a girl that's much more into reading and studying than combat so far, but wants to learn how to fight to not be helpless in the future. There's bits of PTSD, but it's not going very deep on the topic, compared with other adult series I read. It still gave it t some more depth and added to the character.
There's the well loved magic school trope in here, as well as quite some mysteries and clues from the past. There's an epic scale as a backdrop, but so far we focus on small pieces of the world, as we follow mostly one main character, which just a few scenes from other POVs. I fully expect we'll explore more of the world and about the deceits and intrigues in book two.
All in all a quick read that had me well entertained!...more
A good fantasy for readers 10+, though not for the faint of heart of that age!
Umbras, sort of spirit animal companions made from starlight, plenty of A good fantasy for readers 10+, though not for the faint of heart of that age!
Umbras, sort of spirit animal companions made from starlight, plenty of action, strong friendships & family bonds and an intriguing world to explore made this an engaging and fascinating read.
I really enjoyed the no nonsense girl as a lead, who has a best friend and a young brother to take care off. None of them are a liability, but instead they form a great team who help each other out along the way. Because even a baby brother can be a great anker and added braveness!
The dialogues and relationships between different characters, species and factions definitely are the strong suit of this book, while the plot sometimes felt a bit hammered into shape. This didn't really matter overly much, and I'm still happily giving this 4 solid stars, as I cared enough for the characters to be glued to the story all the way through!...more
This said "middle grade" in the blurb when I bought it. Boy for that age group I think it's really rather gritty and grim. So please use caution when This said "middle grade" in the blurb when I bought it. Boy for that age group I think it's really rather gritty and grim. So please use caution when giving this to kids - some will be just fine with it, but for more sensitive readers this might be a bit too much.
I really enjoyed the fresh feel of a superhero story set in Nigeria! The mix of modern technology, but also a lot of traditional and old ways of live really showed through, and made for fascinating reading.
Crime and corruption is running rampart, and all the best criminals have super villain names, like Three Days Journey for example. The previous chief of police was killed, and now his 12 year old sun, granted with some special powers, is out for... Justice? Revenge? He doesn't know exactly himself. He definitely wants to find his father murderer and not have them go free.
At the start the story was a bit slow, at other times it seemed to skip ahead a bit, when you go from "I have no idea" to "I know exactly, let's go hurt them!" in about a second. I mean this could be how a traumatised 13 year old's brain works, but at times the paced just seemed to go all over the place every so often.
What I really enjoyed was a strong friendship. There's friction and arguments, but there's also a strong sense of loyalty. Even when you're angry, you will be there for your friend, when they need you most, and vice versa. I need more of that!
The characters felt pretty realistic to me, which kids and teens on books often don't, so that's a big plus in my books.
The world also needs a lot more different superheroes from all places, abilities and walks of life, so having The Man is a great thing!...more
I obviously wasn't the target audience for this... I do enjoy quite a lot of YA fantasy, and I don't usually mind the typical tropes that come along wiI obviously wasn't the target audience for this... I do enjoy quite a lot of YA fantasy, and I don't usually mind the typical tropes that come along with it.
This book however just really never gripped me. For YA at it definitely was too "sexy" at times. For an adult book it definitely was too shallow and predictable - for my taste.
I didn't really like any of the characters, so that didn't help for my enjoyment. While they were interested enough to keep me reading, I just didn't really care for them.
The plot was rather predictable, and despite a twist or two at the end, it just didn't really do anything to set it apart from all the many other similar books.
All in I didn't regret the time I spent on this, but I also wouldn't miss it if I read something else instead......more
A great fantasy story for kids! I'd recommend it for 10 years and up.
The main character is different than the rest of her family, and has a hard time A great fantasy story for kids! I'd recommend it for 10 years and up.
The main character is different than the rest of her family, and has a hard time to control her "wild magic". She always feels a pull to the outdoors, and loves spending time in varies animal shapes and in nature.
I especially loved the family ties in this book, and how it's so much more than just mete blood. It's about love and trust and loyalties.
There is a definite moral to the story, about being true to yourself as well as about humans destroying so much in their path. However it's smoothly integrated in the story, and doesn't feel like a lecture or artificially layered over it.
A strong female lead who doesn't just rely on herself, but also on her triplets and her feel for the wild.
I wanted to love this, and the start was really promising as well. A female lead, who is a blacksmith and suffers from anxiety? This sounded AWESOME!
II wanted to love this, and the start was really promising as well. A female lead, who is a blacksmith and suffers from anxiety? This sounded AWESOME!
It's not a bad book, and I did enjoy it enough to give it 3*, but sadly the book fell into a more of the "typical YA" potholes.
This doesn't mean YA isn't good, there's plenty of YA series I devour, but there's some repeating tropes that just take away from my enjoyment.
* The heroes are all too good, they are very understanding, and even if there's any sort of drama, it will be forgotten within no time at all. * Instant attraction on first sight. Due to anxiety the whole thing is a bit more drawn out, but it's still obvious right from the first moment "he" enters the scene. * Giant problems are solved within a matter of minutes, this just felt too shallow. * Way too powerful young protagonists who can defeat whole squads of soldiers. * While I love the friendship and "You got this, we believe in you" speeches, they just felt a bit artificial and didn't smoothly fit in. * Smithing weapons - for peace. Really?
The anxiety was handled pretty well (I have it myself, so I know it better than I'd like), but due to how short the book is, the overcoming and adapting was a bit hurried in the second part. I did really love the representation though, which is a major reason for me still enjoying the book as much as I did.
I'd have loved this as 16 years old, before reading so many great books to compare it to, so I would still recommend it to young readers or those who can ignore some shallow bits for interesting characters. Or those who want really good characters and clear goals....more
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