Title: The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1) Author: Graci Kim Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: May 4, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Graci Kim’s thrilling debut about an adopted Korean-American girl who discovers her heritage and her magic on a perilous journey to save her witch clan family.
Riley Oh can’t wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister’s footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she’s a saram–a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she’s ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.
Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie’s magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family’s old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie’s initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It’s a perfect plan!
Until it isn’t. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie’s life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?
As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.
Review:
Thirteen-year-old Riley Oh was adopted into a Korean witch family. She’s excited for her sister, Hattie, to be initiated and earn her powers, but Riley wants to somehow get her own powers. Hattie and her find a spell to connect them and share Hattie’s powers with Riley. They have to perform the spell in front of everyone in their community, but they’re stopped at the last minute. There’s a secret from Riley’s past, which could kill the girls if they perform that spell. Riley still wants to get her powers so that she no longer feels like an outsider in the family. She gets a quest from a goddess, who wants her to find the last fallen star. If she can find the star, she will get her powers, but the task seems impossible. Riley must complete the task before she loses everything she loves.
This story had a twist on the “chosen one” narrative. Rather than Riley being the chosen one to save the world, she was the only one in her family who didn’t have powers. Riley became the chosen one when she had to complete the quest. The quest had larger implications in their witch community, so she did end up being the one who had to save them all.
Korean culture was an important part of the witch community in this book. Their portal was inside an H-Mart store. Riley encountered creatures from Korean folklore. Though Riley was adopted, her biological parents were also Korean so she looked like her family. I loved the way Korean culture was so integral to this story.
The Last Fallen Star was a fun story! I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
Thank you Rick Riordan Presents for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Have you read The Last Fallen Star? What did you think of it?
Title: Dial A for Aunties Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto Genre: Romance, Contemporary Publisher: Berkley Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: April 27, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A hilariously quirky novel that is equal parts murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters as well as a deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture, by debut author Jesse Q. Sutanto.
1 (accidental) murder 2 thousand wedding guests 3 (maybe) cursed generations 4 meddling Asian aunties to the rescue!
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is accidentally shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for their family wedding business—“Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream cake flowers.
But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?
Review:
When Meddelin Chan accidentally kills her blind date, her mom calls her aunties to help them get rid of the body. Meddy’s family are wedding vendors, so they have to figure out what to do with the body while they’re at a billionaire’s wedding the next day. The cooler where they store the body is accidentally sent to the wedding, so they have to keep the body hidden while they’re at the fancy resort. To make things more complicated, Meddy’s former college boyfriend who never met her family is also at the wedding. Meddy and her family need to somehow get through this wedding while hiding the dead body and avoiding murder charges.
This story was hilarious from the beginning to the end. Meddy had three aunts and her mom. I loved how the aunts were specific characters and weren’t referred to by their names. Instead, Meddy called them Big Aunt, Second Aunt, and Fourth Aunt. They were each so distinct that I never got them mixed up. There were a lot of things lost in translation, since the aunts were not as fluent in English as Meddy. This made for some hilarious misunderstandings, especially in terms of the common meaning of certain emojis.
Even though this story was about an accidental murder, it actually had a light tone. Things kept going so spectacularly wrong that I couldn’t help but laugh. There are so many things that can go wrong with a wedding, but adding in a secret dead body makes even more possible problems. The scenes were so cinematic that I can imagine this story being turned into a movie. I hope it will be on the big screen one day!
Dial A for Aunties is a hilarious romcom!
Thank you Berkley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
Have you read Dial A for Aunties? What did you think of it?
A sparkling middle-grade novel in verse about Samira, a twelve-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, who finds peace, empowerment, and sisterhood in a local surf club for girls.
Samira thinks of her life as before and after: before the burning and violence in Burma (now Myanmar), when she and her best friend would play in the fields, and after, when her family was forced to flee. There’s before the uncertain journey to Bangladesh by river, and after, when the river swallowed her nana and nani whole. And now, months after rebuilding a life in Bangladesh with her mama, baba, and brother, Khaled, there’s before Samira saw the surfer girls, and after, when she decides she’ll become one.
With Khaled’s help, Samira pushes past her fear of the water and begins secret surf lessons. She forges a friendship with the Bengali surfer girls of Cox’s Bazar and learns of a surf contest for kids that could change her life in so many ways. But as more Rohingya seek refuge in Cox’s Bazar and the dynamics of her community change, it becomes harder for Samira to keep her surfing a secret, potentially putting her family at risk.
Samira Surfs, written by Rukhsanna Guidroz and illustrated by Fahmida Azim, is an effervescent novel in verse about a young girl’s journey from isolation and persecution to sisterhood, and from fear to power as she reclaims her childhood.
Review:
Samira is a twelve-year-old Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh. Her family escaped violence in their home country of Burma (now Myanmar) and made the treacherous trip to their new home, losing Samira’s grandparents along the way. Samira has to work hard at selling eggs on the beach to help support her family. When she hears about a surf contest with a huge prize, Samira is eager to learn to surf and compete to earn money for her family. The problem is that Samira is not allowed swim or surf. Samira builds friendships with other girls who want to learn to surf as well, but she also must face discontinuation because of her religion and gender.
Before reading this book, I didn’t know much about Rohingya refugees. This was a devastating story told from the perspective of a child. Samira had to grow up quickly when her family was in danger and they had to flee their home. There was a lot of pressure put on Samira to support her family. She wasn’t allowed to go to school because she was a girl, and she had to work even harder when her dad was injured and couldn’t work. These circumstances pushed Samira to discover surfing, which ended up being a good thing for her.
Samira found hope in learning to surf. It gave her something to look forward to. She was eager to learn and improve her skills. I’ve never surfed but Samira’s experience was inspiring!
Samira Surfs is an important middle grade read!
Thank you Kokila for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Have you read Samira Surfs? What did you think of it?
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 The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He.
Goodreads Synopsis:
One of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turner YAs you’ll read this year—We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli.
Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her.
In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.
Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But nevertheless, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses #2) Author: Harper St. George Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Berkley Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 29, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Sparks fly when a runaway heiress bargains with a devilish rogue to escape a marriage of convenience.
No one would guess that beneath Violet Crenshaw’s ladylike demeanor lies the heart of a rebel. American heiresses looking to secure English lords must be on their best behavior, but Violet has other plans. She intends to flee London and the marriage her parents have arranged to become a published author–if only the wickedly handsome earl who inspired her most outrageously sinful character didn’t insist on coming with her.
Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, has a scheme of his own: escort the surprisingly spirited dollar princess north and use every delicious moment in close quarters to convince Violet to marry him. Christian needs an heiress to rebuild his Scottish estate but the more time he spends with Violet, the more he realizes what he really needs is her–by his side, near his heart, in his bed.
Though Christian’s burning glances offer unholy temptation, Violet has no intention of surrendering herself or her newfound freedom in a permanent deal with the devil. It’s going to take more than pretty words to prove this fortune hunter’s love is true….
Review:
Violet Crenshaw’s American parents want her to get married. She doesn’t like the husband they’ve chosen for her, so she decides to flee London so she can work on her manuscript at an artist’s retreat. Just as Violet is ready to flee, she’s stopped by Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh. He offers to give her a ride out of the city, so she can run away from her family. Violet doesn’t know that Christian asked Violet’s father if he could marry her, but he was turned down. Christian hopes that he can convince Violet that they should get married on their long trip north. However, an accident throws them together in an unexpected way. Violet has to try to keep herself from falling for the devilish Christian while he tries to charm her into marriage.
This was such a fun sequel to The Heiress Gets a Duke. That book followed Violet’s older sister August who wasn’t in this story that much because she was traveling back to America at the end of that book.
There was a lot of steamy romance in this book. I loved Violet and I could relate to her desire to be a writer. She had to struggle with rejection, but she kept pursuing her dream.
The romance for the next book in the series was introduced throughout the book. It will follow Violet’s brother, who made a couple of appearances in this story. I can’t wait to read that one.
The Devil and the Heiress is a fun historical romance!
Thank you Berkley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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 If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1) by Julie Murphy. The expected publication date is August 3, 2021.
Goodreads Synopsis:
After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.
Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn’t expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Reasons Why I Love Reading, so I decided to make a list of the Books That Made Me Love Reading. Here’s my list:
1. Mole and Shrew All Year Through by Jackie French Koller
2. Shadowland by Meg Cabot
3. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Without a Trace by Carolyn Keene
6. It Begins by Richie Tankersley Cusick
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
8. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
9. Into the Blue by Ben M. Baglio
10. Kittens in the Kitchen by Ben M. Baglio
(All book covers from Goodreads)
What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Title: One Last Stop Author: Casey McQuiston Genre: Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ Publisher: Macmillan Audio Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Audiobook Release Date: June 1, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks…
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.
Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.
Review:
Twenty-three-year-old August moves to New York City to escape her complicated relationship with her mom. She moves in with a quirky group of roommates and starts working at a pancake diner. Then, one day when she’s on the subway, she sees a girl. Jane is mysterious and intriguing. August keeps seeing Jane on the train and falls for her more each time. However, she hasn’t seen Jane outside of the train. That’s because Jane can’t leave. Jane is from the 1970s and is somehow stuck on the subway train. August has to do everything possible to somehow save Jane.
I went into this story without knowing what it was about. I loved Casey’s book Red, White and Royal Blue so I knew I would love this one. I was surprised to see the magical realism aspect, with Jane from the 1970s stuck on a modern train. This was a fun and unique concept.
I loved the romance between August and Jane. It was a little strange, since their relationship had to take place on a subway train. However, I was really hoping they could be together outside of the train. There were some heartbreaking moments but I loved the ending.
This audiobook had a great narrator. She used different voices for different characters, so I could always tell who was speaking. The quirky cast of characters were hilarious. There were funny moments throughout the story, even during serious situations. Those funny parts broke the tension and lightened the mood of this emotional story.
One Last Stop is a great romcom!
Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Have you read One Last Stop? What did you think of it?
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