Category: LGBTQ+

Book Review: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1)
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: 26 October 2021
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes: including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance.

Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he’s actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.

Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor – but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

The Binding meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Homomisia, sexism, racism, death of a parent, murder, attempted murder, torture, kidnapping, bullying, on-page sex

TL;DR: Despite a bit of a rocky and slow start, I did end up enjoying this book! This was a fun historical fantasy set in the Regency era that balanced the romance and mystery well. Although the mystery wasn’t entirely surprising, there were still some neat little twists that had me eager to learn more! Robin and Edwin were wonderful main characters and I loved their dynamic and romance—I found it swoony, romantic and sweet. 🥰 Not to mention, it got unexpectedly steamy! Overall, a great read and I can’t wait to pick up the next book!

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Book Review: Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Small Miracles
Publisher: Starwatch Press
Pub Date: 6 May 2022
Genre: Adult Paranormal Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A little bit of sin is good for the soul.

Gadriel, the fallen angel of petty temptations, has a bit of a gambling debt. Fortunately, her angelic bookie is happy to let her pay off her debts by doing what she does best: All Gadriel has to do is tempt miserably sinless mortal Holly Harker to do a few nice things for herself.

What should be a cakewalk of a job soon runs into several roadblocks, however, as Miss Harker politely refuses every attempt at temptation from Gadriel the woman, Gadriel the man, and Gadriel the adorable fluffy kitten. When even chocolate fails to move Gadriel’s target, the ex-guardian angel begins to suspect she’s been conned. But Gadriel still remembers her previous job… and where petty temptations fail, small miracles might yet prevail.

Olivia Atwater explores love, grief, and the very last bit of chocolate in this sweet modern fantasy, full of wit and heart. Pick up Small Miracles, and enjoy a heavenly faerie tale from the author of Half a Soul.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of parent, grief, religion

TL;DR: What a delightfully charming story! This was my first book by Atwater and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. Her words are infused with a warm sense of cosiness, comfort, and wit, which kept me well entertained as I read. This was a fairly low-stakes story about fallen angels, debts, sins and virtues, petty temptations and of course, small miracles. While there was a slight lull in the middle, the ending had me tearing up, grinning happily and left my heart feeling full! I would recommend it if you don’t mind a few cheeky footnotes and a great story about healing, acceptance and indulging in a bit of sinning by indulging in a lot of chocolate!

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ARC Review: Hollow by Shannon Watters

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

Special thanks to BOOM! Studios for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Hollow
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Publication Date: 04 October 2022
Genre: YA Paranormal Graphic Novel

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

From Shannon Watters, the co-creator of the bestselling worldwide phenomenon Lumberjanes, and co-writer debut author Branden Boyer-White, rising star artist Berenice Nelle (Wanderlicht), and colorist Kaitlyn Musto (Specter Inspectors), comes a supernatural queer romance and adventure set in the infamous town of Sleepy Hollow, available in September 2022.

Isabel “Izzy” Crane and her family have just relocated to Sleepy Hollow, the town made famous by—and obsessed with—Washington Irving’s legend of the Headless Horseman. But city slicker-skeptic Izzy has no time for superstition as she navigates life at a new address, a new school, and, with any luck, with new friends. Ghost stories aren’t real, after all….

Then Izzy is pulled into the orbit of the town’s teen royalty, Vicky Van Tassel (yes, that Van Tassel) and loveable varsity-level prankster Croc Byun. Vicky’s weariness with her family connection to the legend turns to terror when the trio begins to be haunted by the Horseman himself, uncovering a curse set on destroying the Van Tassel line. Now, they have only until Halloween night to break it—meaning it’s a totally inconvenient time for Izzy to develop a massive crush on the enigmatic Vicky.

Can Izzy’s practical nature help her face the unknown—or only trip her up? As the calendar runs down to the 31st, Izzy will have to use all of her wits and work with her new friends to save Vicky and uncover the mystery of the legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow—before it’s too late.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Attempted murder, violence

TL;DR: I knew I was going to enjoy this graphic novel the minute I started reading it! You’d think a story about the legend of sleepy hollow would not be my jam (as a notorious scaredy) and normally, you’d be right, but this had a cosy mystery + modern take to it that made it more fun than scary. It would be the perfect addition to your spooky season reading lists!

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ARC Review: Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amparo Ortiz

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

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)

📖 SYNOPSIS

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 Eterna’s annual Exchange, where three teens can trade their dreams for a week of elven magic.

But Sevim knows things most people don’t. 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.

⚠️ CONTENT/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.

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Blog Tour Spotlight: Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amparo Ortiz

Dini @ dinipandareads3 Comments

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m shining a spotlight on Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amapro Ortiz. This is the first day of the tour and there are plenty of awesome posts to come so don’t forget to check out the other blogger posts too!

Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!

Last Sunrise in Eterna
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Publication Date: 28 March 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Puerto Rican

📖 SYNOPSIS

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 Eterna’s annual Exchange, where three teens can trade their dreams for a week of elven magic.

But Sevim knows things most people don’t. 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.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Trauma, handling corpses, death of parent (recounted), murder, mutilated corpses (elven children), dead bodies (elven children), cannibalism (brief mention)

📚 BUY A COPY

Amparo Ortiz is the author of BLAZEWRATH GAMES and
DRAGONBLOOD RING. She was born in San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and currently lives on the island’s northeastern coast.
She’s published short story comics in MARVEL’S VOICES:
COMUNIDADES #1 and in the Eisner-award winning
PUERTO RICO STRONG. She’s also co-editor of the
upcoming OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS, a young adult
horror anthology featuring myths and monsters from Latin
America. When she’s not writing, she teaches ESL as a
college professor and watches a lot of K-pop videos.

Author’s Socials
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Is Last Sunrise in Eterna on your TBR or does it sound like a book you want to read?

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

ARC Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

Dini @ dinipandareads29 Comments

Special thanks to the author and Underlined for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Publisher: Underlined
Publication Date: 16 May 2023
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(2 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend… but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.

Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Classism, death of parent (recounted), cancer, alcoholism

TL;DR: Fake Dates and Mooncakes was high up on my list of anticipated YA contemporary romances this year and I was beyond thrilled to get a digital ARC! Sadly though, for various reasons, this book really didn’t work out for me. I loved the cultural and food aspects of the story and Dylan’s family was great as well. That said, the romance was instantaneous and I didn’t really feel their romantic connection. The writing also read on the younger end of YA, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m not sure that’s what the author intended and it also clashed with the more sexually suggestive overtones between Dylan and Theo. I wanted to see more of the mooncake competition but that played a woefully small part in the story. Overall, I’m sad that this didn’t end up being what I expected because I was genuinely looking forward to loving it!

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Blog Tour Review: I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

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)

📖 SYNOPSIS

All the Bright Places meets Ace of Spades in this smart, twisty teen thriller about a girl who can’t stop pushing herself to be the best—even after losing her best friend and the love of her life.

Welcome to Meadowlark, Long Island—expensive 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 years—weekend trips to Montauk, sleepovers on a yacht—and then, first love. True love.

But when Lia disappears, Chase’s 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 Lia—and herself.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Suicidal ideation, depression, suicide, hospitalisation, anxiety, drug abuse, drug addiction

📚 BUY A COPY!

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!

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Blog Tour Review: The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!

Thanks to Random House Graphic 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 Moth Keeper
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Publication Date: 7 March 2023
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy Graphic Novel

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Being a Moth Keeper is a huge responsibility and a great honor, but what happens when the new Moth Keeper decides to take a break from the moon and see the sun for the first time? A middle-grade fantasy graphic novel about passion, duty, and found family.

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving and Anya is excited to prove her worth and show her thanks to her friends with her actions, but what happens when being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what Anya thought it would be?

The nights are cold in the desert and the lunar moths live far from the village. Anya finds herself isolated and lonely. Despite Anya’s dedication, she wonders what it would be like to live in the sun. Her thoughts turn into an obsession, and when Anya takes a chance to stay up during the day to feel the sun’s warmth, her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.

K. O’Neill brings to life a beautifully illustrated fantasy world about responsibility to yourself and your community. The Moth Keeper is filled with magic, hope, and friendship.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Depression, trauma, burn out themes, abandonment (historical, shown on page through flashback), ableism (historical, minor)

📚 BUY A COPY!

TL;DR: If you’ve read anything by K. O’Neill before you’ll know that their stories are not only beautifully depicted through wonderful graphic illustrations, but their stories are full of heart and leave you feeling warm inside. The Moth Keeper is no different and despite the brevity of the story, it brought me joy, made me misty-eyed, and gave me a strong feeling of hope. This is a heartwarming story about community, found family, and belonging and I’d recommend it to everyone who loves folk tales and a good story!

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ARC Review: Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Special thanks to Grace Fell at SparkPoint Studio and Balzer + Bray for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Reggie & Delilah’s Year of Falling
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 31 January 2023
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except… it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Racsim, bullying, dyslexia, chronic migraines

TL;DR: This was a fun coming-of-age YA contemporary that was a well-balanced mix of fluffy and serious. It tackles themes of racism, identity, mental health, learning disability and bullying in a sensitive and well-rounded way. Both of the characters felt like real teenagers who are simply doing their best and despite being frustrated by their actions sometimes, it was easy to root for them to find their happiness. The romance was admittedly a bit too cheesy for me at times and I felt like the build-up of the story felt too drawn out, I still enjoyed this and I think many YA readers will too!

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ARC Review: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Special thanks to HarperTeen for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 17 January 2023
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A clever, charming, and poignant debut novel about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral.

Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can.

Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soul mates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors.

Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company—and the world—that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soul mate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago. Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams.

Fans of Emma Lord and Alex Light will love this stand-alone contemporary novel with a masterful slow-burn romance at its core.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of a loved one, injury caused by angry mob, parental abandonment

**note: this review was originally written when i finished the book in January 2023!**

TL;DR: I didn’t expect to find another second 5-star read in January or for it to be another YA contemporary but lo and behold! There is SO MUCH to love about this book—from the friendships and family relationships to the romance, the honest exploration of self and the character growth, the writing, the tension, and the angst, it was all SO good and the fact that it’s a debut actually stuns me. I don’t know if it’s too soon to say but I think I may have found a new favourite YA contemporary! If you enjoy coming-of-age YA contemporaries or have a young reader in your life to give a rec to, I would highly recommend this for its realistic characters, wonderful friendships/relationships, and a swoontastic romance.

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