Young Adult

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

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TW: Abuse, Misogyny, Abandonment Issues, Death, Loss of Parents, War

She has the sudden impression that bits of his skin might lift away, like a mask hiding something terrible underneath.”

Wendy, Darling is a dark retelling of Peter Pan that focuses on the oldest child, Wendy and what journey she took after coming back from Neverland. Her brothers, Michael and John were able to condition themselves to forget their time in Neverland, Wendy wasn’t able to do and spent time in an Asylum thus damaging the relationship with her two brothers. She feels bitter and resentful towards them and spends time wondering if their parents hadn’t died on their cruise ship, would she have been put in the asylum or would things be different? Although she doesn’t speak of it, Neverland isn’t far from her mind and one night she gets a visit from the last person she expected to see. She finds out that Neverland is what it used to be and there is darkness lurking on the island and the visitor is looking for another Wendy, and before she knows it her young daughter Jane is taken in her place.

I love retellings and I have see a lot of Peter Pan retellings so I was looking forward to this. Sadly, it wasn’t what I expected it to be and it was a bummer. While the story was interesting, I felt it was a bit too dark for my liking and it was hard to invest in the other characters besides Wendy. I found her to be a very interesting and well written protagonist with a harrowing journey that makes you feel for her. I did like the alternating POV’s between Wendy and her daughter, Jane and reading about her adventures in Neverland and I was pleased with how it ended. But, the lack of depth in the characters made me struggle to stay invested so that was a bummer.

Music and Mirrors by Candace Robinson

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The souls are inside you, as theirs are and now the reflections are all just that, reflections.

While the first book followed the adventures of Auden and Lark, this one follows the other side of mirror where Leni and Ridley, the antagonists who were tasked with getting rid of Lark and Auden and failed to do so. The two are facing punishment and in order to save them from a terrible fate, they must seek help from the two they tried to kill or Leni will end up dead and Ridley will become someone he truly hates.

Robinson’s follow up to Lyrics and Music was just as captivating, original, engaging, and full of twists and turns that kept me turning the page in anticipation. The big draw of both books are the characters, as they are all very unique, interesting, and so well written you feel like you know them. It was interesting seeing the other side of it and the perspectives from Leni and Ridley, it really helped you feel compassion for them and understand the plight they were under. The dynamics between the characters helped give the relationships more depth and the writing helped the story flow very well. I was surprised at how much I liked these books, they were very fun, mysterious, engaging, and exciting all in one and I hope that there will be more in this series.

Book Of The Week: Lyrics and Curses

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Curses and Lyrics follows two young people, Lark and Auden who are both coming to terms with their painful pasts. Lark lives with her trendy, party-loving, twin sister and her mother come lately, Beth who has sworn off men and thrown herself into homemaking who don’t understand her love of cassette tapes, distaste of the pop scene, or her standoffish personality. For Lark, she feels like she has no place of belonging except one place, Bubbles Odities, where she finds herself a kindred spirit in Auden Ellis. But, Auden keeps her at arms length because of his fear of exposing her to dangers that lurk in the shadows. But, when two strangers come to town, carrying a dark and mysterious object and errie flute music, the two find that their painful pasts are more in sync than they believe. Now the two have to come to terms with their budding attraction while also keeping their loved ones safe with the dangers that are about to be exposed.

The two main characters are what stood out to me. They were very real, fleshed out, and easy to relate to and have empathy for the with their struggles. Lark has two sisters and a mother doesn’t give Lark what she really needs which makes it easy to connect with her. Auden lost both of his parents and has a loving-psuedo parent and two younger brothers so it’s very easy to feel for them and want them to find the happiness that they need. I was impressed with how well Robinson writes the typical teenager, in some books it can be very cheesy and overdone but in this book, it was very real so that helped. You really do find yourself rooting for Lark and Auden as they’ve gone through so much and do have a bright future ahead of them.

What an absolute delight this book! I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait to read book two for my september tbr. I had heard a lot of hype for this book and it certainly lived up to it as I loved everything about especially that it was in the mid 80’s. I was born in 1986 so this was so much fun to read about as I’m a huge 80’s buff and felt the setting was perfect. The writing was so captivating and had me turning the page in anticipation of what would happen next. Of course this book would end in a cliffhanging but it was still super fun!

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson

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I’m a SURVIVOR. I’m the leftover. The lucky one. The only one in that room who lived.

The Lucky Ones is a gut wrenching and heartwarming story about coming to terms with grief, pain, and love relating to trauma. It follows May and Zach, who have both gone through so much and trying to work their trauma in their own way. A tragic school shooting changed their lives in ways no one could even expect as May lost her twin brother that day, and Zach’s life flipped upside down when his mother came to the shooter’s defense which made him lose all his friends, girlfriend, and ripped his family apart. But fateful night, the two cross paths and realize just so similar they are and maybe they both need one another to help come to terms with that tragic event.

It took me awhile to get through this book because of the material was very heavy as expected with topics like school shootings, violence, and how to process traumatic events. But, as difficult as it was, I felt the way it was written and how it was expressed was very well done. It was impossible not to feel for May, Zach, and everyone involved. This book felt very real and that was also why it was hard to get through but even with that said, I enjoyed this book and think others will enjoy it just as much. It is very important to cover topics like these and when it’s done well, I think people can gain a better understanding, compassion, and empathy for those who are impacted by the distressing events.

Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke

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All the things in the world create music, and as we move through the universe, that music runs into other music and overlaps.

Dumped in the rural Indianola, Texas in the summer of 1993, to take care of her sickly and mean grandmother, Clarie couldn’t think of a worse summer vacation than this. While all her friends are going on adventures and doing things they want to do, Claire is stuck being bored while also dealing with grandmother. But, all is not as it seems as in the dreary and hot town, something interesting has taken shape and once you leave Indianola, you’ll forget it. Claire is desperate to figure what is beyond this mysterious energies taken place where there is a fissure of time and space leaving their a gap in reality. But, Claire also knows that once you leave you may never come back.

Well this was a fun and interesting book as I didn’t expect it to be so dark and creepy. The story follows Claire making it to her grandmother’s place, trying to adjust and then discovering the mysteries of the town while meeting various people who have a much bigger part to play especially, Julie, the cute girl who befriends Clarie shortly after her arrival. The story was unique and the writing helped a lot especially with flow and pacing and I felt engaged throughout the book. The only thing that I wish is that it would’ve been a little longer but I can’t really complain since it was a fun and easy read so I think many people will enjoy this book!

The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

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Rating: 3/5

They weren’t afraid of battle. They were afraid of losing what they loved. And that’s what made them brave in battle.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back follows Tova, a young warrior who has always lived among the Svell, the people who found her when she washed ashore. Although the memories of her home and clan have faded away, the sacred symbols and stavs inked all over her body mark as her the one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. But before, she knows it the two clans among Svell are at odds with each other for the first time in history and Tova is pulled between the two.

Having read previous books by Adrienne Young, I was looking forward to reading this and I feel a bit let down. I have always enjoyed how her world-building is shown in her books and I didn’t feel that way with this book. But, I’ll get to that in a bit. First, the cover is what reeled me in as it’s beautiful and I was very interested to read about vikings and I found Tova an interesting protagonist. She had moments of vulnerability and toughness and it was handled really well which makes it easier to relate. One of the biggest blocks for me to fall completely in love with it was the ending, it felt very rushed to me and I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the book could’ve been a bit longer and spread out but it just felt like she was trying to cram everything in and I lost interest. But, it will be a hit for others and that’s wonderful so if this sounds up your ally, then check it out!

Outrun The Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

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Rating: 3/5

“Glancing between the four of us, I realize just how many types of love we share. And how much it hurts to lose them all.”

Goddess of the hunt, Artemis has two rules. Never disobey her and never fall in love. Feeling relieved after escaping her life as the oracle of delphi, Kahina finds home as one of the female warriors guided So what happens when Kahina breaks both rules by not only saving legendary huntress, Atalanna out of trouble but while trying to prove herself to Artemis again, she finds herself developing feelings for the huntress and struggling to make a choice between the life that she wants and how others percieve her to be?

I had high hopes for this book as I love greek mythology and Artemis is one of my favorite goddesses and while I did love that aspect, the rest was very lacking which led me to give it a three star rating. I felt like the characters and romance was underwhelming and the ending felt a little rushed. I did like the characters and felt if given a bit more development in the romance then I would’ve given it a higher rating. I think I also had problems with the plot as I felt bored by the middle to ending but of course I wanted to see what happened. So, this book wasn’t what I hoped it to be but I think others will enjoy for different reasons than what I was looking for.

Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth-Meyers

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Rating: 3/5

We named ourselves not very cleverly, but the names belong to us not to her. That gives us power for ourselves, do you see?

Into The Heartless Wood is a tale that mixes witches, fairies, monsters into one for a captivating folklore that will have you wanting more. The story follows Owen Merrick who is lured into the woods held by the witches, and when he thought that his life was going to end, one of the daughters, Seren saves him from that terrible fate. From that point on, the two were bonded as she longed to be a human and free to roam and he would climb the garden wall to see. The longing that Seren has to become human would prove to be a daunting mission as dangers lurk in the darkness and an anicent war will be revealed between the witch and the king trying to stop her.

The premise of the book itself is interesting but I feel like there was something lacking with hwo it developed and the romance between the characters. What I really loved about the book was the writing as it was incredibly captivating, moving, and easy to follow and I felt like I was in the world that Meyers created. She creates a world that feels so real and the world-building stood out the most me and it’s such a shame that the rest of the book didn’t match that expectation. While I liked the characters, I felt like the romance was a little rushed and I don’t believe it felt right. I liked both of their journeys on their own and I felt like I needed a little more for it to be believable. There were times where the writing didn’t match up with what was happening and I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. But aside from all this, if you love witches, fairies, and all things folklore then you will probably enjoy this just as much.

Book Of The Week: Catch and Cradle

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Hello everyone! I’m back with the Book of The Week and I’m delighted to share this book with you as I enjoyed it very much. I did have a hard time trying to narrow it down as there were other books that I read this past week. But, I finally did so let’s get started.

The Plot:

Becca swore she woudln’t fall for another teammate after the experience she had on her UNS Lacrosse Team in her first year but she can’t get one of them out of her head and it’s driving her nuts. Her teammate and girl she’s crushing on Hope is dealing with the aftermath of a terrible breakup three months prior by her boyfriend in a very public way. Trying to get over the heartbreak, she is grappling with her crush on Becca, the team captain of the UNS Lacross Team. What happens next is going to take Becca and Hope on a journey of self-discovery, hope, belonging, and healing from a broken heart.

The Characters:

They were all so wonderful especially Becca, I felt a connection to her with reading hte POV’s throughout the book. I love Hope but Becca’s chapters were filled with so much yearning, heartache, and belonging that I just wanted her to be happy and figure out who she is and fully accept that. I loved how the POV’s alternated between the characters as it really helped not only build up their characters but set up for the eventually romance, it felt very real and raw. I felt the chemistry between Hope and Becca and it didn’t feel forced and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I felt that all the characters even the side characters were interesting, unique, well developed, and had their own parts to play.

Overall:

This was a super enjoyable book and the writing was a big plus, it helped bring the reader in and feel a part of the atmosphere. I feel a connection to the story and characters. I normally read longer books so I did wish it was a little longer but that will be something other readers like and that’s fine. But, highly recommend this book as it was a super enjoyable love story with complex characters.