Review: ‘Spin the Dawn’ (‘The Blood of Stars’, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

Day after day and night after night, she spun the dawn and unraveled the dusk. Rating: 4/5 paper planes Genre: YA fantasyPublication: 4 March 2021 (originally published 9 July 2019 in hardback)Pages: 416 (paperback) Synopsis (from Hachette): On the fringes of the Great Spice Road, Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the …

Book Tour Stop: Review + Top 5 Reasons to Read ‘Sugar and Spite’ by Gail D. Villanueva

"Magic can't heal everything, can it?""No, it cannot heal everything. Like I said, it's only a temporary fix. True healing must come from within the patient themselves." Rating: 5/5 paper planes Genre: Middle-grade contemporary fantasyPublication: 20 April 2021Pages: 208 (hardback) Synopsis: Can a bully be defeated by a magical love potion? Jolina can’t take Claudine’s …

Review: ‘Firekeeper’s Daughter’ by Angeline Boulley (narr. Isabella Star LaBlanc)

Mom. She won't survive my death. One bullet will kill us both. Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: Historical fiction; mystery/thriller; contemporaryPublication: 16 March 2021Pages: 496 (hardback) Synopsis: As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby …

Review: ‘An Unkindness of Ghosts’ by Rivers Solomon

[Aster] was standing on the edge of a new world and so ready to jump. How Lucifer felt upon leaving the Heavens. He didn't fall. He dove. Rating: 5/5 paper planes Genre: Science-fiction; Afrofuturism; dystopian fictionPublication: 3 Oct 2017Pages: 351 (paperback) Synopsis: Odd-mannered, obsessive, withdrawn - botanist and healer Aster Gray has little to offer …

Review: ‘Open Water’ by Caleb Azumah Nelson

You know that to love is both to swim and to drown. Rating: 5/5 paper planes Genre: Contemporary romance, literary fictionPublication: 4 Feb 2020Pages: 145 (hardcover) Synopsis: Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are …

Review: ‘Cemetery Boys’ by Aiden Thomas

Below, the waves crashed. The moonlight painted [Julian] in shades of blue. His edges blurred like watercolors spilling outside of their lines. Rating: 4.25/5 paper planes Genre: YA LGBTQ+ paranormal/urban fantasyPublication: 1 Sep 2020Pages: 352 (hardcover) Synopsis: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family …

The LGBTQ+ Rep Book Tag!

Thank you so much to Virginia @ The Sassy Library Fox (the tag creator) and Elli @ AceReader for tagging me in this!! It looks so fun and I'm super excited to do it (sorry about the delay!). Rules: Thank whoever tagged you and link to their blog post.Link to the original creator: The Sassy Library …

Review: ‘These Violent Delights’ (‘These Violent Delights’, #1) by Chloe Gong

"Astra inclinant," [Roma] would whisper into the wind, so heartachingly sincere even when quoting in Latin, "sed non obligant."The stars incline us, they do not bind us. Rating: 4.95/5 paper planes Genre: Historical fantasy (retelling, 'Romeo & Juliet')Publication: 17 Nov 2020Pages: 464 (hardcover) Synopsis: The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of …

Review: ‘The Winter Duke’ by Claire Eliza Bartlett

I picked up the tiara and slid it onto my head. Strength. Pride. Rage. This was the legacy of my family, and if I had to use it to win, I would. Rating: 5/5 paper planes Genre: YA High Fantasy (court intrigue)Publication: March/October 2020 (US/UK)Pages: 400 (hardcover)Synopsis: Once Ekata’s brother is finally named heir to …

Review: ‘Legendborn’ (‘Legendborn’, #1) by Tracy Deonn

"Legends are dangerous, Bree. Don't underestimate them." Rating: 4.5/5 paper planes Genre: YA urban fantasy (Arthurian legend)Publication: 15 Sep 2020Pages: 512 (hardcover) Synopsis: After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like …