Review: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Rating: 4 hoots out of 5 hoots

Published: July 7 2020

Number of pages: 336

Format: electronic advanced reading copy

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Genre: fantasy, romance

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

Soraya has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens. She is cursed to be poisonous to the touch and she must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time.

A demon is inside the dungeons and holds the knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of Soraya with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she wonders who she is and who she is becoming.

My Review:

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Quick note: I received the advanced reading copy late and I took my time reading it because July was a weird month for me. A lot of things were happening to me for the past two months that it was hard for me to focus on reading and writing this review. 

Review: Hungry Hearts Edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond

Rating: 4 out of 5 hoots

Published: June 18 2019

Number of pages: 352

Format: hardcover

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: contemporary, romance, LGBTQ

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

Welcome to Hungry Hearts Row, were the answers to life questions are cooked, boiled, kneaded, and baked. Where magic, food, and love are sometimes one and the same. Told in interconnected stories, a group of young adult authors explores the many meanings food can take on beyond mere nourishment.

Book Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Rating: 3 out of 5 hoots

Published: January 15 2019

Number of pages: 388

Format: advanced reading copy

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: fantasy, LGBT, romance, historical, mystery

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

It’s 1889 in Paris. In the centre of the city is the Exposition Universelle. A wealthy gentleman and treasure hunter name Severin Montagnet-Alarie has tabs on all the dark secrets. When an elite Order of Babel persuades him to help on a mission, Severin is offered a treasure even he could not refuse: his inheritance.

To hunt the ancient artifact, Severin requires the aid from a team of experts. Together they will join Severin as he explores the darker parts of Paris. What they might find could also change the course of history – but only if they can stay alive.

My Review:

An advanced reading copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There are two things that I like about this book: the writing and the story. This was my first time reading from Roshani Chokshi and at last time’s TeenReads Preview my Twitter friend, Nafiza told me her writing is really good. I couldn’t wait to take the ARC home and read it because if Nafiza says that it’s good, then it must be; I trust her word. Oh and just a quick shout out, Nafiza Azad is coming out with her debut book The Candle in the Flame this year. I’m so excited for her release! And if you haven’t seen the cover and synopsis yet then you can check it out here on Goodreads. Okay enough said, back to my review…

Review: Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie Mclemore

Rating: 3 out of 5 hoots

Published: October 9 2018

Number of pages: 375

Format: hardcover

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: fantasy, LGBT, magical realism, romance

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

The del Cisne girls are not only sisters-they are opposites and rivals. Blanca is obedient and graceful, and Rosa is manipulative and vicious. They know that of the powerful curse passed down for generations, that their family is bound to swans where one sister is chosen to turn into a swan and the other sister stays human.

But when two local boys cross their paths, unbeknown to them they are drawn to the swan’s dangerous game and are intertwined with the strange and the unpredictable magic found deep in the woods. Only the truths that face all four of them could save or destroy them.

Book Review: The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Rating: 3.5/5 hoots

Published: June 27 2017

Number of pages: 513

Format: hardcover

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: romance, LGBTQ, historical fiction

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and raised to be a gentleman but he was never to be tamed. Even the most finest boarding schools and constant reprimanding from his father were not enough to stop him from enjoying gambling halls, late nights with drinking spirits and sleeping with women and men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quiet life of pleasure will soon come to an end when he returns and is expected to take care of his father’s estate. But Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and travelling companion, Percy.

Monty isn’t about to give up. Even with his young sister Felicity tagging along, Percy is still willing to keep his spirits high and enjoy these last few months of pleasure and sordid affairs, and flirting with Percy from France to Rome. But then Monty’s reckless decision leads his friend and sister in danger, leaving the trio into a harrowing manhunt that spans across the continent, questioning everything that Monty thought he knew including his relationship with the boy he likes.

Book Review: Toil & Trouble 16 Tales of Women & Witchcraft Edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe

Rating: 5/5 hoots

Published: August 28 2018

Number of pages: 416

Format: ARC

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: fantasy, romance, occult, LGBTQ, feminism, contemporary YA

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, or withholding arcane knowledge of magic and power. Toil & Trouble features sixteen stories of different girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destiny and learning to create, to cure, and to kill.

This collection reveals a universal truth: there is nothing more powerful – and dangerous, than a teenage girl who believes in herself.

A young witch using social media to connect with her astrology loving fans including a cute NASA fan. A priestess of death is called to investigate a murder ritual. A bruja who cures lovesickness must find a way to cure her own when she finds out she’s in love with the altar boy. A theater production is threatened to be cancelled by a churel. In Reconsturction-era Texas, a girl must learn to survive the solders who invaded her desert oasis. In the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective powers to destroy their captors.

An advanced reading copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Price of the Occult by Leslye Walton

Rating: 3/5 owl hoots

Published: March 13 2018

Number of pages: 288

Format: hardcover

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Genre: dark fantasy, romance, occult, supernatural, magical realism

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

 

Summary:

All Nor Blackburn wants to be is a normal teenager living on the sweet touristy island called Anathema Island. But then a mysterious book comes out, and the island’s flora and animals raise their hackles as strangers begin sprouting strange fern tattoos. A storm is coming, and it’s coming for Nor.

My Review:

Once upon a time, I read a beautiful story about a girl with wings and her mother who was mending a broken heart when she was young. It was a wonderful and sad story about love, family, loss, and about the girl who wanted to find her place in the world where people were normal and didn’t have wings. I loved this story it was a page turner and it also made me cry a little in the end.

Years later another story comes out, and this one is about a family of witches who lived on an island for generations. It is a curse for a Blackburn witch to fall in love, only to have their hearts broken and raising their child by themselves. But Nor Blackburn is different from her ancestors and her mother. She wants to live a normal unremarkable life, working in a touristy shop that sells witchy occult stuff, and just being a plain teenager. But pretty soon, things change on the island when a strong storm comes like a bad omen. Nor’s past suddenly catches up to her, and now she has to find a way to end her family’s curse that has carried over for generations.

Review; Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Rating: 4/5 owl hoots

Published: September 26 2017

Number of pages: 335

Format: ARC

Publisher: Feiwal and Friends

Genre: magical realism, romance, LGBTQ, fantasy

Audience: young adult

Get it at: Chapters Indigo

Shelve it at: Goodreads

Summary:

For centuries Nomeolvides women have taken care of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from all over the world. But there’s a dark secret, if they fall in love their lovers vanish. But then to their surprise a boy suddenly appears in the gardens. The boy is a mystery to Estralla, the Nomeolvides girl who found him and introduced to her family. But she suddenly learns that he doesn’t even know who he is or where he came from. As Estralla tries to help Fel piece together his past, La Pradera leads the pair to deeper, darker secrets that are dangerous and magical.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review