Special thanks to Page Street Kids for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Last Sunrise in Eterna Publisher: Page Street Kids Publication Date: 28 March 2023 Genre: YA Fantasy Rep: Puerto Rican
Panda Rating: (2.75 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
Three teenagers are invited to spend seven days on the secluded island floating off the coast of Puerto Rico to learn the magic of the elves.
All they have to do is give up their dreams.
Seventeen-year-old goth Sevim Burgos hates elves. Everyone else on earth loves the elves (especially their handsome princes) and would give anything to participate in Eternaโs annual Exchange, where three teens can trade their dreams for a week of elven magic.
But Sevim knows things most people donโt. She can see through the illusions the elves use to conceal their crimes. Ever since elves killed her father, Sevim has longed for revenge. So to help support her single mother, she has been selling abandoned elf corpses on the black market.
But it turns out that the elf prince Aro has noticed Sevim bodysnatching, so he kidnaps her mother in retaliation. To get her mother back, Sevim must participate in the Exchange.
In the home of the elves, Sevim will have to surrender her dreams and put her trust in the charming prince who took the last family member she has in order to master the art of elf magic. And in working with him, she will discover how the royal elves might be more tied to her own history than she ever suspected.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Trauma, handling corpses, death of parent (recounted), murder, mutilated corpses (elven children), dead bodies (elven children), cannibalism (brief mention)
TL;DR:I’m quite conflicted with my feelings about this book. It’s not terrible and I did enjoy the author’s writing but I found myself wanting more throughout the whole read. Ultimately, I realised that this probably wouldn’t make it on my list of recommendations for readers that want a YA fantasy, no matter how wonderfully diverse it is! I was really hoping to enjoy this more than I did but it just wasn’t the right fit for me as I found the plot and characters to be too surface-level to really engage with.
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
The Next New Syrian Girl Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication Date: 14 March 2023 Genre: Young Adult Mystery Rep: Syrian, Muslim
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
Khadija Shaami is a Syrian American boxer fed up with the expectations of being the perfect Syrian daughter. Saddled with a monstrous ego and a mother to test it, she will stop at nothing to leave Detroit and travel the world with her best friend.
Leene Taher is a Syrian refugee enraptured by the lavish lifestyle of the Syrian girls in Detroit. America is her fresh start, if only her haunting past will let her move on.
When their worlds collide, the result is catastrophic: To Khadija, Leene embodies the tame, dutiful Syrian ideal sheโs long rebelled against. And to Leene, Khadija is the strong-willed, closed-off American who makes Leene doubt her place in the world.
But as Khadija digs up Leeneโs past, a startling discovery brings the two of them closer together. As the girls secretly race to unravel the truth, their blossoming friendship challenges what each knows about the other and herself. And what they find takes them all the way across the world, back to the place of Khadijaโs memories and Leeneโs nightmares.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Islamophobia, the Syrian Revolution, depression, suicide (off-page), reality of socioeconomic gaps, generational trauma, PTSD, Syrian refugee.
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR:This was a complex and emotional coming-of-age story about family, identity, and belonging. It shines a pointed light on the impact of the Syrian War on the Syrians in Syria, Syrian refugees, and Syrian Americans. This story is rich in culture and is packed with love for Syria as highlighted by the experiences of Khadija and Leene, two Syrian teenagers whose families may come from the same country but have entirely different life experiences. I loved how they learn from each other and grow together and the strength of the friendship that they form was really heartwarming! This took me on a complex journey of emotions and overall, I thought it was a great debut novel!
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
I Will Find You Again Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication Date: 14 March 2023 Genre: Young Adult Mystery Rep: Queer, Lesbian, Sapphic, Asian American, Anxiety
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
All the Bright Places meets Ace of Spades in this smart, twisty teen thriller about a girl who canโt stop pushing herself to be the bestโeven after losing her best friend and the love of her life.
Welcome to Meadowlark, Long Islandโexpensive homes and good schools, ambition and loneliness. Meet Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano: the driven overachiever and the impulsive wanderer, the future CEO and the free spirit. Best friends for yearsโweekend trips to Montauk, sleepovers on a yachtโand then, first love. True love.
But when Lia disappears, Chaseโs life turns into a series of grim snapshots. Anger. Grief. Running. Pink pills in an Altoids tin. A cheating ring at school. Heartbreak and lies. A catastrophic secret.
And the shocking truth that will change everything about the way Chase sees Liaโand herself.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Suicidal ideation, depression, suicide, hospitalisation, anxiety, drug abuse, drug addiction
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR:This was a YA mystery that I don’t think I could’ve expected and I think will be very different to what many people expect too, but for me, it was very much in a good way! This story tackles some really tough issues that were hard to read about and I would recommend checking out the content/trigger warnings beforehand because although I think this author handled these issues sensitively, she also doesn’t sugarcoat the reality of them. These pages are packed with so much tension, raw emotion, and heartbreaking moments between best friends and lovers and the struggles they face living up to societal, cultural and familial expectations. Overall, an impressive mystery that I would recommend and I can’t wait to read more by this author soon!
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Delacorte Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) Publisher: Delacorte Press Publication Date: 24 January 2023 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Rep: Middle Eastern, Arabian, Lebanese
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.
Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nationโs coveted spice โ a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.
But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nationโs magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the cityโs location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.
Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes โ and in her own heart โ but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?
In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Colonialism, slave labour, brutality/cruelty, gladiator/ring fighting, prison labour, death, public hangings, sexual assault/attempted r*pe (not to main character), bullying
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR:Spice Road is a book that I’m glad I was patient with because, despite a bit of a rough start, it really pulled through for me in the end! The world-building was descriptive and vivid, the atmosphere was tense, and the story unfolded at a fast pace. I loved the development of our main character, Imani, the most though. What had the potential to ruin a great read with an unsympathetic main character, was saved by realistic gradual growth and it made the second half of this book so much more enjoyable to read! There were a few twists and turns at the end that only served to increase the intensity of the story and now that I’m invested, I can’t wait to get my hands on book two to see what happens next! ๐
Special thanks to Algonquin Books for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Moonrise Over New Jessup Publisher: Algonquin Books Pub Date: 10 January 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
Winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, a thought-provoking and enchanting debut about a Black woman doing whatever it takes to protect all she loves at the beginning of the civil rights movement in Alabama.
Itโs 1957, and after leaving the only home she has ever known, Alice Young steps off the bus into the all-Black town of New Jessup, Alabama, where residents have largely rejected integration as the means for Black social advancement. Instead, they seek to maintain, and fortify, the community they cherish on their โside of the woods.โ In this place, Alice falls in love with Raymond Campbell, whose clandestine organizing activities challenge New Jessupโs longstanding status quo and could lead to the young coupleโs expulsionโor worseโfrom the home they both hold dear. But as Raymond continues to push alternatives for enhancing New Jessupโs political power, Alice must find a way to balance her undying support for his underground work with her desire to protect New Jessup from the rising pressure of upheaval from inside, and outside, their side of town.
Jamila Minnicksโs debut novel is both a celebration of Black joy and a timely examination of the opposing viewpoints that attended desegregation in America. Readers of Brit Bennettโs The Vanishing Half and Robert Jones, Jr.โs The Prophets will love Moonrise Over New Jessup.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Sexual assault (minor mention), racism, racial slurs, hate crimes (brief mention), death of parent (off-page, mentioned), police brutality (minor mention), physical violence, slavery (brief mention)
TL;DR:Moonrise Over New Jessup was a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking historical fiction and a wonderful debut by Jamila Minnicks! This slow-paced character-driven story set in Alabama at the beginning of the civil rights movement shared a not-so-black-and-white perspective about integration and I found this an educative and informative, as well as an emotional read. Alice and Raymond were wonderful characters and I enjoyed how the author thoughtfully crafted these insights and viewpoints through their life and love story. I would definitely recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction!
Hello, friends! I’m back with my first blog tour of 2023 hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours and I’m so incredibly excited that it’s for a title that I absolutely adored: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert.
Thanks to Joy Revolution for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute Publisher: Joy Revolution Publication Date: 3 January 2023 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance Rep: Black, OCD, Fat
Panda Rating: (5 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoorsโand each other.
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. Heโs a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes… except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.
Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumptionโyet, sheโs still not cool enough for the popular kidsโ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, thatโs how Celine sees it.)
These days, thereโs nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, sheโs surprised to find Brad right beside her.
Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed… or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Anxiety, struggling with OCD, childhood abandonment, estranged parents
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced/unfinished copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR:Honestly, what can I say about this other than I loved it? What a fantastic way to kick off my reading in 2023 with my first 5-star read of the year! This book has reminded me why I love Talia Hibbert so much. Although she usually writes adult romance, you wouldn’t know this is her YA debut because it was so well written and was essentially classic Hibbert. From the cheekiness, the A+ banter, the wonderfully weird and quirky, flawed yet realistic characters, the heart-swoopingly sweet romance, and the casual queerness and beautiful representation. Reading her stories always feels like a warm hug and they never fail to make me laugh and smile! If you’re looking for a cheekily cute YA romance to kick off your 2023 reading, look no further than Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. I mean, couldn’t you tell from that name alone that this was gonna be a winner?!
A fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Changโe , in which a young womanโs quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous pathโwhere choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the powerful Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyinโs magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, untrained, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the Crown Prince, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the emperorโs son.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. When treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, however, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dreamโstriking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Attempted sexual assault, sexual harassment, blood & gore depiction, death of a parent, torture mentioned, kidnapping & captivity, war themes.
Special thanks to Rylee Warner at Spark Point Studio for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Reader, I Murdered Him Publisher: Clarion Books Pub Date: 11 October 2022 Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Panda Rating: (3.5 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.
It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America dividedโbetween those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technologyโotherwise known as Mechomancyโnot the traditional mystical arts.
Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mageโs license and becoming something more than a rootworker.
But six months later, sheโs got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcaneโs Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.
As theyโre sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the countryโs oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in Americaโs past, when Black mages were killed for their powerโwork that could threaten Lauraโs and the Skylarkโs lives, and everything theyโve worked for.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Sexual assault, physical violence, murder (on-page), sexual abuse (inferred/implied), parricide (on-page), death of parent (mother, off-page)
Special thanks to Grace Fell at Spark Point Studio and Balzer + Bray for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Rust in the Root Publisher: Balzer + Bray Pub Date: 20 September 2022 Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.
It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America dividedโbetween those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technologyโotherwise known as Mechomancyโnot the traditional mystical arts.
Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mageโs license and becoming something more than a rootworker.
But six months later, sheโs got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcaneโs Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.
As theyโre sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the countryโs oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in Americaโs past, when Black mages were killed for their powerโwork that could threaten Lauraโs and the Skylarkโs lives, and everything theyโve worked for.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Racism, use of racial slurs, slavery (historical), genocide (historical), violent death (on-page)
Note: these reviews were originally posted on my Goodreads in June and July 2022 (oldest first)
The Charm Offensive Publisher: Atria Books Pub Date: 07 September 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (4 stars)
๐SYNOPSIS
In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedyโreminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watchโan awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.
Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So itโs no wonder then that heโs spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchiseโs history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.
Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesnโt believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, heโs a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, heโs cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.
As Dev fights to get Charlie to open up to the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, theyโll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.
Dev and Charlie absolutely charmed me! ๐ฅน They have an almost instant connection that slowly develops into a heartwarming romance. My heart hurt for Charlie as he struggled to believe that he deserved love because all his life people have treated him as “less- than” due to his OCD and anxiety.I loved watching him slowly learn to not be apologetic for being who he is. Dev is a hopeless romantic who is scared to accept love out of fear of being abandoned or rejected. He puts on a “Fun Dev” persona pretending everything is fine despite suffering from chronic depression. Not only did I love the diversity and LGBTQIA+ representation in this book, but I thought the mental health, OCD and anxiety rep was also really well addressed and handled sensitively.
Their romance was incredibly soft and sweet with super swoontastic moments that had me reading with heart-eyes. ๐ There’s a forbidden romance element which really upped the stakes and increased the tension. I appreciated that they did what they needed to do for themselves first to have a healthy relationship. As much as I enjoyed this though, I admit that I expected to love it much more than I did. There were moments when I felt disconnected from the characters and romance. It was enjoyable enough but when I had to put it down, I also didn’t feel compelled to pick it back up again immediately! Still, I did enjoy this a lot and I would definitely love to read parts of it again because they made my heart very happy!
Two strangers share a romantic night together only to discover months later they’re professional rivals in this grumpy meets sunshine romance novella from the acclaimed author of How To Fail at Flirting.
Gia loves her job as a professor, even when it means dealing with an elusive rival academic whoโs made it his mission to criticize her work. When she meets him for the first time, sheโs shocked to learn theyโve met before. Months earlier, they shared a perfect New Yearโs Eve together in an airport during a weather delay.
After months of working together, Felix still canโt believe the person whose research he’s been challenging is the same captivating woman he kissed that night. The two couldnโt be more different. Gia is bubbly, friendly, and extroverted and drives ordered, serious Felix nuts.
Now the two have been assigned to embark on a five-school tour for work. Gia and Felix canโt imagine a travel partner theyโd enjoy less until they feel the sparks fly over their shared armrests, security mishaps, and a shared hotel room. They’ll need to decide if they can manage their professional tension, or risk missing the connection of a lifetime.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Workplace misogyny, sexism
This wasn’t anything particularly special but it was exactly what I wanted when I went in search of a fast in-between read this morning. This was my first Denise Williams book so I didn’t have any expectations going in but I’m happy to say that I enjoyed her writing and characters!
Gia and Felix are your typical grumpy-sunshine trope in a work-nemesis-to-lovers romance situation. Their meet-cute on NYE at the airport is like what those romantic dreams are made of only for those fantasies to crumble to dust a few months down the line when they meet again and realise they’re enemies in the professional field in real life. These two have a clear attraction to each other that I really enjoyed seeing grow as they spend more time together. Felix is a pretty closed book and I felt the win alongside Gia every time her sunshine personality managed to elicit even the smallest of grins from him. Despite their opposite personalities they clicked so well and I loved how Gia encouraged Felix to be more relaxed and open, and I loved the way he grounded her. They were so accepting of each other and it was really sweet!
I’d have loved to read more about them but even with this being a novella, I still really enjoyed seeing how they evolve and grow together. This also served big on that happy ending. Was it a little cheesy? Heck yes but it was so perfectly Gia but I loved that it was Felix who came up with the idea for her ๐ They’re so cute!
Have you read either of these contemporary romances or are they on your TBR? If you did, what did you think of them?
dinipandareads 