Title: Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite Author: Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (editors) Genre: Young Adult, Short Stories, Fantasy Publisher: Imprint Source: Purchased Format: Hardcover Release Date: September 22, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire―and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
Review:
This is an amazing collection of modern vampire stories. Vampire stories have gone out of style in recent years, after the popularity of Twilight. People had said they had been overdone, but there are so many more vampire stories to tell. The white, heterosexual, privileged vampire story has been told many times, but this collection has a diverse range of characters, with queer and disabled characters from a variety of nationalities.
These stories were so original. I would have loved to see any of them turned into a full novel. They had rich settings and diverse characters. There was a Desi story and a Latinx story, and even a story about a vampire in a wheelchair. I’ve never read anything like these stories before, and I loved them! After each story, the editors wrote a paragraph about the vampire trope that was being flipped in the story. These sections showed how much thought went into each story and their placement in the collection.
Each story had a different origin story for vampires and different rules that vampires had to follow. In some, they couldn’t see their reflection in mirrors, while they couldn’t in others. Some vampires turned their victims into vampires against their will, and in others the victim had the choice to be turned into a vampire or not. There were also a couple of stories about vampire slayers, including First Kill by Victoria Schwab, which is being turned into a TV show.
This is one of my favourite books of 2020! I’ll definitely be recommending it for a long time.
What to read next:
Slasher Girls and Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tuchloke (editor)
His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler (editor)
Have you read Vampires Never Get Old? What did you think of it?
Title: Heartstopper: Vol. 1 Author: Alice Oseman Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT Publisher: Graphix Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: February 7, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…
Review:
Charlie is an openly gay student at an all-boys school. He has a secret relationship with another boy at school, who is not openly gay. When the new school year begins, Charlie meets Nick, a boy who’s a year older than him. Charlie and Nick get closer and closer, with Charlie developing feelings for him. Charlie worries that he has a crush on a straight boy, but is Nick really straight?
This was such a sweet love story. There weren’t a lot of words on the pages, which let the actions speak for themselves. Their body language was shown in the illustrations, which told most of the story. My only critique of the illustrations is that Ben, the boy Charlie was with at the beginning of the story, and Nick looked alike. They were both tall, with blonde hair and a similar body structure. This shows that Charlie has a type, but it made it a little confusing to tell them apart at the beginning of the story.
There were scenes of bullying and a sexual assault. Charlie was bullied for being openly gay. He was even bullied by Ben, the boy he kissed at the beginning. For some reason, since Charlie was open with his sexuality, the other students thought they could treat him any way they wanted. These were disturbing and upsetting scenes, but they told an honest side to Charlie’s story.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I’m excited to read the next one.
What to read next:
Heartstopper: Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks (illustrator)
Other books in the series:
Heartstopper: Vol. 2
Heartstopper: Vol. 3
Have you read Heartstopper: Vol. 1? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“You already know the story of the American Revolution, and the birth of the American monarchy.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee.
Goodreads synopsis:
What if America had a royal family?
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.
Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.
And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
Title: Majesty (American Royals #2) Author: Katharine McGee Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary Publisher: Random House Source: Purchased Format: Hardcover Release Date: September 1, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Is America ready for its first queen?
Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we’re looking at you Daphne Deighton.
As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her “party princess” persona…and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace–and Prince Jefferson–at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne’s carefully laid “marry Prince Jefferson” plans.
A new reign has begun….
Review:
Princess Beatrice has become the first Queen in American history following the death of her father. She has to take a stand to prove that she will be a good Queen for the people. Her first task is to get married. Meanwhile, her sister and heir, Samantha, is making a splash as a party princess, which leads to an unexpected relationship. Their brother, Jefferson’s ex-girlfriends plot against each other to try to win him back. There was lots of drama and romance to start off Queen Beatrice’s reign.
American Royals was my favourite book of 2019. I was a little hesitant to read Majesty because I worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I loved this sequel and I found it so inspiring. American Royals actually inspired my own writing, so I loved seeing the story continue in this sequel.
This story touched on so many important issues in the lives of royalty. Beatrice had to make a statement as a strong Queen, but she was ruled by the men in her life and told to submit to a marriage. The press was also an important part of their lives. Jeff’s girlfriends Daphne and Nina had to be careful with how they behaved because it could make front page news. Samantha did create a bit of a scandal by making a headline that affected her love life. They even had to deal with racial issues, when one character started dating a black man and that was commented on by the press. These were all contemporary issues that royalty has to deal with in real life, so it made the story feel more real.
This is an amazing sequel! I was happy with the ending, but I would also love to revisit these characters in more books.
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
Goodreads Synopsis:
“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.
What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
Co-written by Rachel Cohn (GINGERBREAD) and David Levithan, co-author of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON with John Green (THE FAULT IN OUR STARS), DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES is a love story that will have readers scouring bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: No Ordinary Boy: Dragons, Magic, and King Arthur Author: Tracey Mayhew Genre: Middle Grade Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 1, 2020 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
All Merlin knows is the village where he mixes potions for wary customers, and dreams strange dreams that sometimes come true. Then a mysterious hooded man appears, seeking a boy with no mortal father, and Merlin is taken far away, to a crumbling tower and a ruthless king. To a place where his is not the only magic.
About The Tales from the Round Table series: This engaging collection introduces the legend of Merlin, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table to a new generation of readers aged 7+.
Review:
Merlin is a boy who lives by himself in a small village. He is known as a healer with special powers. One day, a group of knights arrive in the village, looking for a mortal boy who did not have a mortal father. Merlin fits that description. He is brought to the king to save his crumbling castle.
I have read three different adaptations of the King Arthur and Merlin story this year. Each one has been for a different audience and told the story in a different way.
This story is perfect for early middle grade readers. It was fast paced, but short. There is so much material for the story of Merlin, so I wished the story was a little longer. There were exciting scenes, which included magic and dragons, that will keep young readers entertained. It’s a great introduction to the story of Merlin.
Thank you Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Dark Sorceress by Tracey Mayhew
Twelve Rebel Kings by Tracey Mayhew
Have you read No Ordinary Boy? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology edited by Dhonielle Clayton. The expected publication date is December 8, 2020.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes a young adult fantasy short story collection featuring some of the best own-voices children’s authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Libba Bray (The Diviners), Victoria Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic), Natalie C. Parker (Seafire), and many more. Edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles).
In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, Victoria Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone, and a to-be-announced debut author/short-story contest winner
Title: Swamp Thing: Twin Branches Author: Maggie Stiefvater, Morgan Beem (illustrator) Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Fantasy Publisher: DC Comics Source: Purchased Format: Paperback Release Date: October 13, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Twins Alec and Walker Holland have a reputation around town. One is quiet and the other is the life of any party, but they are inseparable. For their last summer before college, the two leave the city to live with their rural cousins, where they find that the swamp holds far darker depths than they could have imagined.
While Walker carves their names into the new social scene, Alec recedes into a summer school laboratory, because he brought something from home on their trip—it’s an experiment that will soon consume him. This season, both brothers must confront truths, ancient and familial, and as their lives diverge, tensions increase and dormant memories claw to the surface.
Review:
Alec and Walker Holland are twins with opposite personalities. Alec is quiet and introverted, but Walker is the life of the party. They take a trip to visit their cousins in the country for the summer before they start college. Walker wants to spend some quality time with his brother, but Alec wants to keep studying his plants that he brought along with them. He studies how plants store memories and emotions. On the first night, their cousins’ dogs are locked up in the garage where Alec’s plant experiments are being stored. The dogs eat the plants and chemicals, but it actually does more harm to the dogs than the experiments. The dogs transform into plant-dog hybrids. As the brothers slowly drift apart over that summer, Alec becomes more involved in his study of plant emotions.
This was the perfect graphic novel for Maggie Stiefvater to write. Her other books explore nature and plants, so writing about a character who studies and becomes a plant is a perfect match.
The plant emotions were displayed right on the page. If a character was connected to the plant, the emotions the plant was feeling would hover around them. The plants also stored memories of the things that happen around them, which revealed some secrets that the characters were hiding.
There was also great representation of diabetes. Alec was a diabetic, who had to check his blood sugar often. He had a sensor in his arm to check his blood sugar with his phone. The plants affected his blood sugar, so it played an important part in the plot as well. It was great to see this diabetes representation illustrated in the story.
I loved the fresh, green illustrations in this graphic novel. There were plants everywhere, including on the lockers in the school. Even if I didn’t notice the plants right away in the panel, the plant would give off emotions which showed that it was present in the story. Though Alec and Walker were twins, I could always tell them apart in the story. Sometimes, characters who are related are drawn so similarly that it’s difficult to tell them apart. Alec was always wearing green and had part of his head shaved, so he looked distinct from his brother. The expressions on their faces even reflected their personalities, with Alec looking very tense and Walker more relaxed.
This is a great graphic novel!
What to read next:
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (illustrator)
Have you read Swamp Thing: Twin Branches? What did you think of it?
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