Anna, M., 17The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver follows a transgender boy named Neil Kearney who has just “broken up” with his boyfriend upon hearing the daunting confession of “I love you” and was unable to return the feelings. Although, Niel believed that they were only ever friends and were never together so they could not have “broken up” to begin with. His friend does not take this well much to Niel’s confusion, and he has come to the realization that he has nobody to help him get through his older brother’s marriage and his insufferable family and has the need to get back at his best friend for the confession. So, naturally, he finds himself a date. The date in question is his roommate, an annoying constant in his life that is persistent on being nosy, at his high school boarding school. At first Niel’s new date, Wyatt, believes him to be a down right jerk to his old friend, however as they spend more time together Wyatt forms a deeper understanding over Niel’s situation in life. As Wyatt bonds with him, Niel in turn learns how to open up to somebody new. Right off the bat the story had caught my attention by beginning the story with a break up, which served to nicely introduce the character Niel Kearney. At first Niel is seen as a jerk and instead of making excuses for his character, the author serves to give the reader a deeper analysis of the character to grasp as to why he is acting like this. The author also treats gender and sexuality with care throughout the entire book. He uses the book to question and expand the identity of multiple characters. This is important for readers to see within today’s society especially if they feel as though they are not represented properly in media. I recommend this story to anybody who has an interested in the YA romance section and want to be seen as a transgender and/or queer teen. Please be mindful for any trigger warnings. REFERENCES
Anna M. (2022, October). Teen Review. CIN Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Goodreads [Cover Images and Genre/Themes]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ Mason Deaver Writes [Author's Official Website]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.masondeaverwrites.com/ NoveList Plus: The Feeling of Falling in Love [Read-alikes]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=neh&tg=UI&an=11079248&site=novp-live&custid=s5664038 Overdrive Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/
Anna M., 17Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min is a beautifully spun story packed full of anime references, indie rock, queerness, self-discovery, and fateful love. The book follows two protagonists, Santiago and Suwa Moon. Santiago, otherwise known as Santi, is a teenager who had his heart broken by an internet friend, Memo, after leaking their song. He has recently moved to Los Angeles with his guardian in hopes of piecing his life back together. This comes in the form of joining the marching band at his new high school, the Sunshowers. The head trumpet player of the Sunshowers is Suwa who is a trangender teen with a passion for music and a prickly personality that instantly takes a dislike to Santi. Soon the feelings between the two become mutual crushing that later leads to much more, but before their love is able to fully blossom they are hit with their past just as Suwa was beginning his music career and Santi getting his feet back on the ground. The writing of the story is down right impeccable; Lio Min has a wonderful way with making situations feel real and palpable, especially when it comes to dealing with heavier topics. The book is a hurricane of feelings from the very beginning. Some parts of the story had me giggling like a little girl while others made me bitter with disdain. Both characters, and their friend group, have layers and history that adds depth to them and makes their stories intriguing. The main relationship was also well done with it feeling real and both characters actively recognizing and realizing their faults and coming back together because of that. Beating Heart Baby touched on topics such as queerness and race in an elegant way and was clearly handled with care by the author. I recommend this story to anybody that enjoys wanting to feel seen within a romance/coming-of-age novel that otherwise would have been pushed to the side. Please be mindful of the trigger warnings before picking this book up. REFERENCES
Anna M. (2022, September). Teen Review. CIN Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Goodreads [Cover Images, Genre/Themes, and Read-alikes]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ Overdrive Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/ Lio Min [Author's Official Website]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://liomin.com/
Anna M., 17As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh is a tale about a young woman named Salama Kassab. She was a former pharmacy student in Syria until a revolution tore her city apart uprooting her life and claiming much of her family. Having a strong need to help, she works at the hospital healing innocent people every day while also taking care of her pregnant friend, Layla. Salama has found herself stuck between choosing to stay and fight for her country or to leave in hopes of finding a better life somewhere else. Her decision becomes much easier when she meets a boy who encapsulates her “might” life before the military took control of her city. While all of these hardships happen, Salama also faces Khawf, a hallucination caused by her PTSD, who pushes her will to survive with doubts and fears. As the book begins, the readers are instantly thrown into the despair of the protagonist and her city leaving people wondering how it all got to this. The author of the story has a beautiful way of writing her tales, and while it is elegant Zoulfa does not hold back on describing the gruesome side of war. Twists and turns are everywhere in the story leaving the reader to wonder what is real and not. The main character, Salama, is realistic and has depth to her character because of all the doubt, fear, love, and hope that she showcases throughout the story. There are also many allusions to Studio Ghibli works, which I personally enjoy as a fan of the animation company, adding an excellent contrast between reality and fantasy in the story. I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading stories about fictional historical events without it being sugar coated; however, it is still through a YA lens. Although please be mindful of the trigger warnings. ReferENCE
Anna M. (2022, August). Teen Review. CIN Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Goodreads [Cover Images, Genre/Themes, and Read-alikes]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ Overdrive Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/ Zoulfa Katouh [Author's Official Website]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.zoulfakatouh.com/
Anna M., 17 Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim is a tale about conviction and injustice. The author thrusts the readers into a magical world made up of Korean mythology as the story follows a young woman of the name Shin Lina who unwillingly becomes a thief and assassin for a crime lord in her city of Sunpo. Her younger sister’s life lies in the hands of the crime lord who threatens to have her killed to ensure Shin Lina’s loyalty. One day she is forced to steal an irreplaceable tapestry made by the Dokkaebi, mythical beings much like gods, and ends up being taken by one and led into the world of the Dokkaebi. In order to be released by the emperor of the Dokkaebi and achieve freedom she has to win a hopeless wager. Set against impossible odds Shin Lina rises to the challenge to save her sister and herself from a past that still haunts her. Immediately as the first scene begins the readers are thrown into an action filled plot with a female lead that is imposing and witty. I was drawn to how Shin Lina has true depth to her character and is constantly riddled with conflicting thoughts and motives behind every move. She felt real despite being in a fantasy world. The story goes beyond just being another YA fantasy/romance novel ultimately forming a plot you would not have predicted from the start. Throughout the story there are twists and turns that keep the reader engaged the entire time with no stop to the action and tension building up. It was a fantastic read that kept me thoroughly engaged and eager to know what happens next as it progressed. I recommend this novel to people who enjoy the YA fantasy genre and are looking for a fresh new world to dip their toes in and a strong female lead. The ending is a promise for another book in the series and personally I can’t wait to pick it up and unravel new mysteries. ReFERENCES
Anna M. (2022, July). Teen Review. CIN Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Goodreads [Cover Images, Genre/Themes, and Read-alikes]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ Overdrive Catalog. (2022). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/ Sophie Kim Writes [Author's Official Website]. (2022). Retrieved from: https://www.sophiekimwrites.com/
Teen Review by Skye B., 17Roseanne A. Brown tells a rich tale of two radically different characters and their intertwined stories in A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, a story of family, magic, strange creatures, and deep history. The story begins with Malik, a young man who has faced many difficulties in life and is ripe with anxiety. We not only follow Malik’s nervous journey to save a loved one, full of twists and turns surprising both the reader and Malik himself, but we’re also introduced to Karina, the Crown Princess of Ziran. Unlike Malik, Karina is born into luxury, yet her life has been full of grief and loss, despite being surrounded by constant wealth. We follow their intertwined story over the span of one single week in which Solstasia takes place, one of the most important festivals to the Kingdom of Ziran, only occurring every 45 years. Each day is packed with a different celebration meant to honor the gods, but the main event of them all is the champion competition. The only thing Malik and Karina have in common is their desire to save a loved one, both of them willing to do anything, even murder another human being. Brown does an amazing job of creating characters with complex personalities and deep family histories. I find Malik the most interesting character, and personally one of my favorites, as he is a main character full of anxiety, something we don’t often see in the fantasy genre. This makes Malik feel more real and relatable as the reader sees how he experiences the same problems we do in real life. Not only does Brown create relatable characters, but she also creates the world of Sonande, which is full of lore, kingdoms, and different languages. This aspect made the book especially fascinating to me, as the world Brown has created is so well thought out that I still want to learn more about it. Additionally, this is Brown’s first book ever published and is inspired by Northern and Western African mythology. There were many times I had to look up a certain creature or aspect of folklore, and in reading this book I truly feel like I was pushed to learn more. I would definitely recommend A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown to anyone that enjoys fantasy fiction, as it tells quite the memorable story. Personally, I can’t wait for the next book to be published! Read-alikes REFERENCES
CIN Catalog. (2020). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Goodreads [Cover Images]. (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ NoveList Plus: Displacement [Genre/Themes and Read-alikes]. (2020). Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10896181&site=novp-live&custid=s5664038 Overdrive Catalog. (2020). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/ Roseanne A. Brown [Author's Official Website]. (2020). Retrieved from: https://roseanneabrown.com/ Skye B. (2020, September). Teen Review. |
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