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Monday Minis
Sorry for missing last week’s Monday Minis, it’s been a bit of a crazy time with visiting family, staying with friends and travelling back to the UK. But I’m back today with an interesting mix of YA and teen books for you! Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with eARCs for all of these titles, all opinions are my own as usual.
The Righteous by Renée Ahdieh is the third book in her The Beautiful series. And I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this installment – beginning with how I thought this was a trilogy and kept waiting for resolution that did not come, only to be blind-sighted by the story ending just after 90% and finishing on excerpts from ALL of Ahdieh’s series. Written in Ahdieh’s signature compelling style – I don’t think I’ve read anything of hers that hasn’t gripped me – this pivots away from the first two books a bit by focusing on Pippa and Arjun, two characters present in The Beautiful and The Damned. And I have to say, this is a choice that I really liked. They are great characters, and it made for an interesting change – however, this series is a bit all over the place. It started out as a historical vampire romance-y story, and now it’s more of a fairy story. Although I’m enjoying myself and they’re entertaining reads, I feel like I’m being conned to an extent, not necessarily in a bad way. I’m just not sure if I’d have picked up the series if I’d known where it’d go – and the ending to this particular volume made me grumpy. I was all set to give it four stars and then the very end changed my mind. So one to read if you’ve been enjoying the series, but no reason to pick up the series by itself.
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts by Erika Lewis is a Rick Riordan-esque middle grade adventure about a girl who finds herself transported into a world of Irish mythology. Centred around Kelcie who grew up in Boston, knowing nothing about herself apart from her name, the story soon evolves into a fast-paced adventure when she finds her way to the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts and starts finding out more about her true powers and heritage. As is the norm with these sorts of books, she soon becomes part of an ancient struggle for the destiny of the world together with her friends. It is fun and a quick read – a very entertaining book that I think lots of readers will enjoy. However, I have to say it is not one that stands out, not in terms of plot, writing or characters. It is perfectly fine, but not one that I think I’ll be thinking about again or recommending to people much. If you think the premise sounds great, go for it, it may work better for you than it did for me though!
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger is absolutely lovely. I adored their debut, Elatsoe, last year and so I was thrilled to be approved for the audiobook for their sophomore novel. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the blurb, and ended up positively surprised by a story that was nothing like any book I’ve read before and full of magic. Nina is Lipan, a teen in our world, trying to decode and translate a story she recorded before her great great great grandmother’s death, while Oli is a cottonmouth (yes, the snake) from the land of spirits and monsters. For much of the book, their stories are told in parallel, but then events happen in both their worlds to bring them together – and they find out that they are far more connected than they ever realised. My two favourite things about this – and Darcie Little Badger’s work in general – are the amazing character work – they really come to life – and the lack of adherence to western storytelling conventions. I love learning more about the Lipan Apache that the author is from just through how they tell their stories, through what is important to focus on.
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Blood Scion – Deborah Falaye
It’s been a while since I’ve just sat down and raced through a book in a single sitting, but I did that with Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye. Originally drawn in by the gorgeous cover before I even knew what the book was about, I soon fell in love with the world Falaye built for her debut and I can’t wait to read book two.
Many thanks to Harper360YA for sending me an ARC for review, and as usual, all opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 08/03/2022
STAR RATING: 4.5/5 ✶
SUMMARY: Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.
Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within. (from Harper Collins)
OPINIONS: I loved Blood Scion. This is one of the most addictive books I’ve read in ages, which is saying something – I think it’s pulled me out of a rut I didn’t even realise I was in. I need book two immediately and I don’t want to wait for it to be released (yes I am aware that this one isn’t even out yet…). The story is full of magic, darkness, betrayal and other wonderful ingredients – and minimal romance. It really felt like the book was about Sloane and her journey, about her discovering herself and who she is, rather than trying to pair her up or take away her personal development by focusing on a dynamic. And this really is what YA should be about. A main character who is well-developed, growing into their own, with their character arc at the heart of the story. Blood Scion reaffirmed my love for YA, and I am so happy I got to read it.
Now, Blood Scion is a dark book in many ways. It’s essentially about child soldiers, and the main character has to murder a loved one a few pages into the story. While it is still YA, it is also borderline Grimdark, and will certainly appeal to those audiences as well. The publisher comps it to The Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes, but I think an almost more apt comp in terms of darkness and setting would be Tochi Onyebuchi’s War Girls. However, that does not mean that Blood Scion doesn’t have it’s tender moments. As a whole, it feels balanced and to an extent even hopeful in its spirit.
One of my favourite aspects of the book is how it subtly incorporated aspects of Nigerian Yoruba mythology into its story. I am an absolute sucker for anything rooted in myth, so that just made me love it even more – and this was both subtle and worked really well. Really, Blood Scion is a book where there isn’t a lot to criticise, just a great read.
I highly recommend this one. Add it to your Goodreads here, or pre-order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).
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Blog Tour: Shady Hollow – Juneau Black
I’m thrilled to kick off the Hodder blog tour for Shady Hollow by Juneau Black. Published in the UK today (it’s been out over the pond for a while), this cosy crime series follows a small town community of antrophomorphic woodland animals as shady things start happening in their midst. It is a comfort read, lovely and bonkers – written by a team of co-authors, Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel, so I can only imagine the fun they’ve had while coming up with this story and its characters.
Many thanks to Ollie at Hodder for sending me a review copy and having me on the tour, all opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 03/02/2022
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: In the woodland community of Shady Hollow, you’ll discover a secret. Moose and mice, owls and
bears live side by side in civilized harmony. Shady Hollow has a coffee shop and a bookshop, a haberdasher and a bank. All is well… until the town’s querulous toad shows up dead. It’s something this village haven’t seen before: a murder.
Vera Vixen is new in town. She has a nose for news and catches the scent of a story, one that leads her to dark places. As she stirs up the still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and the folks in Shady Hollow learn that some of their neighbours are lying, while others are downright dangerous. It will take all of Vera’s cunning and quickness to come out alive. (from Hodder)OPINIONS: This book is so much fun. It’s bonkers, but in the best possible way. I’m not usually a big fan of stories for adults featuring animals, but I’m so glad that I gave Shady Hollow a shot, and now I can’t wait for book two in March. Imagine this as a classic murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie in terms of pacing, but with the most charmingly odd animal characters you can think of. Vera Vixen is the new reporter in town, so she ends up pulled into the investigation when the local toad is found dead – and the beaver mayor is poisoned.
It’s a short novel, around 200 pages, and thus makes for a very fast read. It is written in a light and humorous style, which is very hard to put down – my goal was to read 50 pages, do a chore, rinse and repeat… but I didn’t manage because I’m weak and the book is fun. It’s the kind of wholesome read that cheers you up and makes a gloomy day better. And it would make a wonderful animated feature *cough cough, Netflix, listen up*. While it is sold as an adult novel, I think it is ultimately a family-friendly book, and would be appropriate for readers around twelve and up – there is no graphic content or similar and it is relatively light and fluffy – so… FAMILY BOOK CLUB TIME!
Thus, highly recommended for a feel-good read! Add Shady Hollow to your Goodreads here, and order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link). And the good news is, books two and three are being released in March and April respectively so you don’t even have to wait very long to binge the whole series!
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Blog Tour: Hold My Place – Cassondra Windwalker
Being on a bit of a thriller binge but also hating most police procedurals, this psychological mystery crossed with an almost Bluebeard-esque love story immediately caught my attention. It is extremely addictive – and it features a librarian, a lover of books, and lots of food, so basically my two favourite things. Perfect to curl up with and spend an hour or two trying to figure out what is going on.
Many thanks to Black Crow PR and Black Spot Books for sending me an eARC for review and having me on the blog tour. All opinions are my own.
RELEASE DATE: 25/01/2022
STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶
SUMMARY: When librarian Sigrun falls head-over-heels for the sophisticated and very married Edgar Leyward, she never expects to find herself in his bed—or his heart. Nevertheless, when his enigmatic wife Octavia dies from a sudden illness, Sigrun finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance worthy of the most lurid novels on her bookshelves.
Sigrun soon discovers Octavia wasn’t Edgar’s first lost love, or even his second. Three women Edgar has loved met early deaths. As she delves into her beloved’s past through a trove of discovered letters, the edges of Sigrun identity begin to disappear, fading into the women of the past. Sigrun tells herself it’s impossible for any dark magic to be at play—that the dead can’t possibly inhabit the bodies of the living—but something shadowy stalks the halls of the Leyward house and the lines between the love of the present and the obsessions of the past become increasingly blurred—and bloody. (from Black Spot Books)
OPINIONS: This is such an addictive read! It is quite short – closer to a long novella than a full-length novel, so it is easy to just get sucked in and read it in a single sitting. It starts out as very much a slightly gothic romance, with librarian Sigrun falling for her cooking instructor Edgar, turning from an emotional affair to a full-fledged whirlwind romance when a pandemic hits their community and Edgar suddenly becomes a widower. For a very long time, the story gives the reader the impression that something is very off here, but it is hard to figure out exactly what it is, whether it is supernatural or not, and that makes the book very uncanny to read.
I loved Sigrun as a main character despite all of her flaws – a librarian in her early thirties, and a total goth. As a book lover in their late twenties and a nerdy goth (not quite as all-out as Sigrun though), I totally identified with her, at least on a surface level. Less so when she was being an idiot, but that’s another matter. I’m a bit torn whether I am annoyed with how the book dealt with Sigrun losing herself in the relationship or whether that was extremely cleverly done in terms of plotting and worldbuilding. It definitely leads to a lot of psychological suspense and a story you don’t see every day.
Ultimately this isn’t a book that is deep literature or has any aspirations to be. It is entertainment and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is the kind of book that would be amazing transported to a visual medium, I think, but while we wait for Netflix to pick up on that, don’t sleep and go read Hold My Place for creep and suspense with a good dose of sexy romance.
Add Hold My Place to your Goodreads here, and order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).
A bookish nerd sharing reviews of current SFF novels
