Two more short reviews of two horror reads this Halloween season. Between NOW and THEN: the same family, the same home, different ghosts. Back in 1976, Loo and Bee are the two closest sisters in a family of five…
Browsing Tag
Young Adult
A gravedigger, a mapmaker and a fiercely protective dead goat go on a dangerous quest to save the(ir) world. In the small, remote village of Colbren, seventeen-year-old Ryn is a gravedigger, her profession by blood and by heart. She…
Three Horror books for this Halloween season, all three featuring twins, queer girls, witches, and a plethora of monsters. In Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin, twins Mae and Rossa spend some time with their aunt Rita…
Title: Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All Author: Laura Ruby Genre: Magic Realism, YA. Publisher: Balzer + Bray Publication date: October 1 2019Hardcover: 384 pages When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an…
5 Rated Books 7 Rated Books Book Reviews
Two Books: Jelly by Clare Rees and The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes
These books could not have been more different from one another but you know I like some variety in my book diet. First up, Jelly by Clare Rees has the most ridiculous premise imaginable and I loved it for…
Title: The Liars of Mariposa Island Author: Jennifer Mathieu Genre: Historical YA Publisher: Roaring Book PressPublication date: September 17 2019Hardcover: 256 pages From the author of Moxie comes a stunning novel told in three voices about the lies families tell to…
It’s Friday and we are over at Kirkus – for the last time. Kirkus are launching a new website and they will be discontinuing the columns. It’s been a huge pleasure to work with them for the past 7…
I’ve been busy this summer, reading thrillers – most of them, I am happy to report, fantastic! I’ve listened to the audiobook of Something in the Water, written and narrated by Catherine Steadman and right off the bat, I…
Title: All the Bad Apples Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle Genre: YA, Magical Realism Publisher: Penguin UK / Kathy Dawson Books USPublication date: August 1 / August 27 2019Hardcover: 352 pages When Deena’s wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears – presumed dead – her family…
5 Rated Books 7 Rated Books 8 Rated Books Book Reviews
YA Round-up: The Best Lies, The Kingdom and Girls with Sharp Sticks.
TW: abuse, rape. Debut YA thriller The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu is a portrayal of a toxic friendship, abuse cycles and the frayed, complex in-betweens. It opens with the death of Remy’s beloved boyfriend Jack. Remy is a…
Title: Wilder Girls Author: Rory Power Genre: Horror, YA Publisher: Delacorte Press Publication Date: July 7 2019 Hardcover: 368 Pages It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and…
Title: With the Fire on High Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Genre: Contemporary YA Publisher: Harper TeenPublication date: May 7 2019Hardcover: 400 pages With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions,…
Giveaways Inspirations and Influences
I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI: Sarah Kuhn on Inspirations & Influences (and a giveaway)
We are huge fans of Sarah Kuhn’s, especially her Heroine Complex series, and were thrilled when we learned she was writing a Japan-set romantic comedy novel. Today, we’re delighted to have her as our guest to discuss I Love…
Title: Sherwood Author: Meagan Spooner Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: HarperTeenPublication Date: March 2019Hardcover: 480 pages Robin of Locksley is dead. Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of…
We are over at Kirkus today for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn, with a review of romantic YA fantasy novel A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but with a modern and multi-world fantastical…
Title: The Dead Queens Club Author: Hannah Capin Genre: Contemporary YA Publisher: Inkyard PressPublication date: January 29 2019Hardcover:464 pages What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain,…
Title: The Wicked King Author: Holly Black Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young ReadersPublication Date: January 2019Hardcover: 336 pages This exclusive edition contains deleted scenes sure to delight fans and give them a special peek into the world…
We are over at Kirkus today for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn this time with a review of Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut YA novel, We Set The Dark On Fire. A dystopian fable that is not too far away from today’s world (at…
8 Rated Books Book Reviews Kirkus
Over at Kirkus: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson and The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu
It's Friday and I am over at Kirkus today with a post on the awesome girls of Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson and The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu …
We are over at Kirkus today for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn today with a review of Kiersten White’s newest: YA urban fantasy novel Slayer. Like basically every other SFF nerd of the past 20 years, Thea is…
Title: The Gilded Wolves Author: Roshani Chokshi Genre: Fantasy, YA Publisher: Wednesday BooksPublication date: January 2019Hardcover: 464 pages Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into…
We are over at Kirkus today for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn this time, with an impassioned defense of some favorite anti-heroes–inspired by her reading of Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C Dao. Heroes are great and all, but are a…
8 Rated Books Book Reviews What She Said
What She Said: THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN by Kiersten White
Today we bring bring back our feature, “What She Said…” in which we both review books that the other has previously read and reviewed. This feature arose because of a very serious dilemma we faced at Casa de Smugglers:…
Title:Sadie Author: Courtney Summers Genre: Contemporary YA Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Publication date: September 2018 Paperback: 311 pages A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial?like podcast following the clues she’s left behind. And an ending you won’t…
I included The Epic Crush of Genie Lo in my top 10 of the year but I had not reviewed it – UNTIL NOW. I am over at Kirkus with a full review of the funnest book of 2018. Go over…
