Anna Tschetter
This year is ending up to be a year of manga and adult fiction (because Alex Awards) so I had heard of this but when it was in Libby, I grabbed it. While the story is a fairly standard magic school/training story (not a bad thing!) the art is INCREDIBLE and really stood out to me. Definitely, I'm intrigued and will continue on.
This was great! As someone who lived in rural mid Michigan the author really captured how bleak it can be. With the combination of the history of medical experimentation on minorities and the voiceless and vulnerable, it makes for a chilling and plausible story.
This is beautiful and sad and funny and well deserving of a Printz honor! My absolute favorite poem is “I gain a ribbon shirt in bloodlines” and I cried reading it. It's just perfect.
Recommended for all readers everywhere especially for those who feel out of place.
Still cute and fun. If you like cooking, fantasy bestiaries, or just Dungeons and Dragons this series is for you!
I had a hard time getting into the plot but I liked the world building and the non-European based fantasy.
A little slow to start but once I got immersed in the world and spent more time with The Book I got really into it. I love the meta-ness of the plot and the circular nature (spoiler? who knows?). The story does curl around itself like the pages of a book in the wind, I assume is intentional. I can't wait for the next book to come out!
Great fun for anyone who read at least one Bronte sister book. It made me laugh out loud numerous times (the duck! the bike!)!
Perfectly fine! I wanted a little more out of it - more characterization, more details, more. . . .everything! - but still a relaxing, fun read.
It took me way longer to read this than it should have because once again, I inadvertently started a pandemic book in a pandemic. It was beautifully written but hard to read.
This book was SO GREAT! It has amazing characters - yes, including the Claw and le Splotch! - and Barry does such a great job of capturing so many different teenage girl experiences. Plus, it's hilarious and still thought-provoking at the same time. I loved everyone.
It took me a bit to get into this, probably because it's been a while since I read an actual, non-genre adult book, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It's got an inanimate object as a POV character which is one of my favorites and lots of family secrets.
Oh my heart! This is an incredible read with two brave, inspiring, and realistic characters!
Incredible! Kendi's adult book was revelatory for me and I think this will be for tweens and teens as well. Reynolds does such a great job distilling Kendi's points for this age group, but also it's great reading for adults. The idea that racism doesn't come from ignorance but rather that it has been engineered by powerful white people for economic and cultural gain is such an important truth. Side note, I listened to this and Reynolds is a great narrator, which will come to no surprise to most people who have heard him speak.
Of COURSE this is incredible. OF COURSE. No one writes mothers and daughters like Acevedo: Xiomara and her mom, Emoni and Babygirl, and now Yahaira and her mom, and Camino and her Tia. All of these relationships are so complex and so true.
I just love Murderbot so much! They deserve the world! And I'm glad that they made some new friends in this books and were reunited with old ones.
A goal for 2021 is to read more fantasy because I'm often like, “Oh I LOVE fantasy!!” but then when I look at what I've read it's a lot of . . . science fiction. And I do really like fantasy. I've just been on a space kick for the last few years. So more fantasy.
Anyway, this was great! If you're looking for a queer, magical pirate story this is for you! I also liked how there's a nonbinary Pirate Supreme and the Imperial/Japanese influence on the world-building was cool.
I enjoyed this past paced thriller. I loved the addition of the RPGs/LARPing as a way for teens to explore themselves. This is a great option for fans of One of Us is Lying who are looking for another multiple POV twisty mystery/thriller.
My one quibble is that I can almost never understand a killer's motives. I don't necessarily think it's the fault of the book, but usually I'm like, “THAT'S the reason they're going to kill a bunch of people!?” I suppose this is a good thing? Maybe I won't ever become a murderer?
This was so sweet! Ana's journey to figured out who they are is really wonderful. A great choice for middle schoolers and especially the ice skating fan.
I loved this! I really appreciate how Mari acted very much like a real teenager. Sometimes YA authors make teens act like smaller adults and it shows. At first, I wasn't sure that it was believable that Mari didn't know her father's positions on anything but as the story went on I got it. He was so controlling of his image and his family that Mari never thought to question him before. I also liked how there wasn't a tidy ending: Mari's dad didn't magically change his entire platform because she wanted him to, adults let teens down, and progress didn't happen overnight.
This is a great example for teens - and adults, honestly - that change can be frustratingly slow but that doesn't mean it's not worth fighting for.
I loved this! Chee does such a good job of capturing all the many emotions that could come from Japanese incarceration: anger, fear, resentment, hopelessness, and more. The strength of the book is the many different characters and their experiences of being removed from their homes. The sense of friendship and brotherhood all throughout the book is wonderful with Twitchy, Mas, Minnow, and Frankie's sections being standouts.
My slight quibble is that there are a LOT of characters and I sometimes had trouble keeping track between names and nicknames. But I will guess that's probably just me and highly recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction, multiple POVs, books about social (in)justice and lesser-known WW2 stories - like that of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Really solid world building - I loved that. But I struggled with the plot and characterizations a bit. Excited to see what else Onybuchi writes.