I was beautiful once. I would not recommend it. Rating: 3.75/5 paper planes Genre: Historical fantasy (Greek myth retelling)Publication: April 2021Pages: 204 (paperback) Synopsis: Within the depths of the Underworld the formidable snake-haired Gorgon has finally had enough. Tired of being eternally and unjustly brandished a villain, Medusa has found the courage to face her … Continue reading Review: ‘Medusa’ by Rosie Hewlett
“‘What is it you want, Sam Sylvester? …More than anything, what do you want?' …‘I want to live,’ I say.” Rating: 3.8/5 paper planes A purple journal, hardback book and phone playing music leaning on a guitar. Around are mini mason jar lights and dried lavender, and the background fabric is dark with small metallic space-themed … Continue reading Review: ‘The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester’ by Maya MacGregor
"It's life, Wallace. Even when you're dead, it's still life. You exist. You're real. You're strong and brave, and I'm so happy to know you."[All quotes are from the ARC, which may differ to the final version.] Rating: 4.75/5 paper planes Genre: Speculative fiction; contemporary fantasy; paranormal; LGBTQ+Publication: 28 Oct 2021 (United Kingdom)Pages: 373 (hardcover) … Continue reading Review: ‘Under the Whispering Door’ by TJ Klune
"I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings."[All quotes are from the ARC, which may differ to the final version.] Rating: 2.75/5 paper planes Genre: YA FantasyPublication: 30 Sep 2021Pages: 408 (hardcover) Synopsis: For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox … Continue reading Review: ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ (‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’, #1) by Stephanie Garber
"In the water there are many things that mankind doesn't know about...When you peel back the skin of the sea, you never know what you will find."All quotes are from the ARC (advance reader copy), which may differ to the final version. Rating: 3.8/5 paper planes Genre: YA Historical Fantasy (15th Century C.E.); Mythology (West … Continue reading Review: ‘Skin of the Sea’ (‘Skin of the Sea’, #1) by Natasha Bowen
He should be the Iron King, and I should be the Iron Queen.Yet Iron Demon and Iron Widow is all they'll let us be.This will not do. I will not let this power go. Rating: 4.75/5 paper planes Genre: YA (I'd say upper range) sci-fi fantasy; mecha; Chinese historical retellingPublication: 7 Oct 2021 (UK)Pages: 394 … Continue reading Review: ‘Iron Widow’ (‘Iron Widow’, #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao
Green and goldGold and greenA power which we've yet to seeAh, but ne'er will come the dayWhen called a force unknown to Fae. Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: High fantasy, retelling (Sleeping Beauty); LGBTQ+Publication: 10 May 2022Pages: 480 (hardback) Synopsis: The Dark Grace is dead. Feared and despised for the sinister power in her veins, … Continue reading Book Tour Stop! Review: ‘Misrule’ (‘Malice’, #2) by Heather Walter
...At each and every checkpoint the refugee is askedare you human?The refugee is sure it's still human but worries that overnight,while it slept, there may have been a change in classification.(Excerpt from the poem 'Assimilation'.) Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: Poetry anthology; contemporaryPublication: 10th March 2022Pages: 96 (hardcover) Synopsis: With her first full-length poetry collection, … Continue reading Review: ‘Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems’ by Warsan Shire
dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy lifedream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may bedream / mayest thou after the end of tribulations finally be in full bloomdream / mayest the end be grand, even though the beginning may be weak('So Far Away' … Continue reading Dreams For the Future
...I turn slowly.The head of the Grendilock is peering back through the curtain of ivy. I can see myself reflected in the empty blackness of its insect eyes.I look afraid. Rating: 4.8/5 paper planes Genre: Children's/Middle-Grade Fantasy; Contemporary Fantasy; Adventure; LGBTQ+; AnimalsPublication: 3 March 2022Pages: 304 (paperback) Synopsis: Between bullies at school and changes at … Continue reading Review: ‘The Last Firefox’ by Lee Newbery (illust. Laura Catalan)
Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad 