From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Book Review:

From Blood And Ash 

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸/5🩸

OMG!!!! Never have I ever been more surprised by how much I loved a book. I’ve spent so much time at work ordering parts of this series for people and being told by my regulars that I need to read. So I caved. And I fell hard for Poppy & Hawke. And I had my heart shredded. And the spicy bits were 🔥🔥🔥. 

I really think this is more fantasy than romance, though there is a romance. It just feels like the fantasy outweighs the actual romance, but whatever, it’s amazing no matter what bookstore shelf it gets placed on. The hype is well earned. 

The slow burn that turns into a raging fire right at the end, the drama, the world building, the morally gray character you can’t help but to love, the snarky moments, this one just really ticks all of the boxes for me. 

I’m only sorry I waited so long to jump on the FBAA train.

(Finished August 30, 2021)

Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

 Book Review:

Kingdom Of The Wicked  

🧙🏼🧙🏼🧙🏼🧙🏼🧙🏼/5🧙🏼

I am so very anxious for the next part of the story. I’ll be honest, for most of this book I was thinking it was a solid 4, maybe 4.5 star read. Right until the last 20-30 pages when shit went sideways and I hadn’t seen it coming. And I loved it!! 

The journey that Emilia begins when her twin is brutally murdered is one fueled by the desire for vengeance and powered by magic. She then starts to learn that so much of what she believes isn’t the whole truth. And when she begins to suspect that Wrath isn’t just some Prince of Hell, that there’s more to him, she isn’t sure who to trust. 

Is she strong enough and does she have what it takes to become her own hero? She doesn’t quite seem to think so but as much as she falters and messes up, she grows along the way and that was my favorite thing about her. The character development over the course of this book has me filled with excitement to see what she does next in Kingdom Of The Cursed. 

And I admit I didn’t see the twists at the end coming.

(Finished August 23, 2021)

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

 Book Review:

A Spindle Splintered  

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀/5🥀

One of the perks of being a Barnes & Noble bookseller is we get access to ARCs. And that’s how I got my hands on this coming soon book by Alix E. Harrow.

The introduction letter describes it as Sleeping Beauty meets Spider-verse. That’s so spot on. It’s also an unapologetically kick-ass, queer, and empowering story. The shadow illustrations throughout are *chef’s kiss*. And it’s definitely a single sitting read clocking in at 119 pages. 

The story follows dying girl Zinna into a fairytale, her favorite, Sleeping Beauty. Also here are Zinna’s best friend Charm and Primrose, a Princess with no interest in Princes. 

The writing is snarky and badass. The story is beautifully different and full of lessons on agency and bucking the roles assigned to us and learning to be true to who we are. 

When this comes out in October make sure you grab a copy!!

(Finished August 19, 2021)

Slay by Brittney Morris

 Book Review:

Slay  

🎮🎮🎮🎮🎮/5🎮

This book was my blind date with a book I picked up when I visited my colleagues at 

Kiera is one of three Black students at her school, the other two being her sister Steph and her boyfriend Malcolm. It’s exhausting and they all handle it differently. 

SLAY is a virtual world that is a safe and amazing gaming space for Black players created by Kiera. It’s a space that values and respects and offers a freedom for players that the day to day world doesn’t give room for. And no one knows she is the creator, Emerald. 

When the world of the game spills into the outside world and a young man is murdered it puts the spotlight on SLAY and Kiera is going to have to defend her creation and those who have come to rely on this virtual world as a place of respite. Can Kiera save the space she has created from lawsuits and trolls? Who is Dred? And what about Malcolm and their relationship, is it healthy and what can she or does she want to do about it? 

A timely and important read. I don’t want to say too much more because I don't want to spoil the impact of the story and how it unfolds.

I will say that this is a must read!!!

(Finished August 14, 2021)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 Book Review:

Mexican Gothic  

🍄🍄🍄🍄/5🍄

This is a book I grabbed after some of my regulars, a coworker, and Bookstagram put it on my radar. Is it worth the hype?

There are often times I find overly descriptive writing about scenery and such a but much. But here it works as a plot device. Everything on first glance looks like you’d expect a wealthy Victorian home to look. But then as we look closer through Noemí’s eyes it becomes clear how nothing is what it seems. Moldy books and walls, cracked tiles, layers of dust, peeling paint…possibly a haunted house, strange dreams and a very strange family. Noemí is strong, especially for a young woman in 1950. And she is stubborn and smart and I really liked her. 

This isn’t a long book, clocking in at 301 pages but it is a very slow burn for sure. At least for me it was. It’s outside of what I typically read but not completely beyond my interests. The story starts out with lots of setup and twists and then gets freakier and then for about the last 70 pages it becomes almost frantic in its pacing, with good reason. 

Trigger warning for some scenes of gore and attempted rape. 

A solid read and worth the time. 

(Finished August 12, 2021)

Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations #1) by B.B. Alston

 Book Review:

Amari and The Night Brothers  

🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩/5🎩

Long but please read. 

This is a middle-grade fantasy and was the overall winner of the Barnes & Noble Children’s and YA book award. Yes I still read middle-grade from time to time. A good story is always worth a read and as a bookseller it broadens my ability to help people. And an added bonus is that when I buy and read middle-grade books I then donate them to one of my many teacher friends classroom library. 

After reading so many YA and adult fantasy and high fantasy when I come back to a middle-grade I’m reminded, pleasantly, of the room for more fun and imaginative story telling. Magic has less boundaries and unbelievable situations aren’t as unbelievable. The sense of wonder and innocence of the intended audience makes for a joyful read, a brain cleansing after a long stretch of darker tales. 

Amari is a beautiful, strong, brave Black girl. She gets nominated to a magical summer camp by her now missing older brother. And that’s how she discovers magic and supernatural abilities and beings are real and among us. And she learns she has magic too, a kind that has been deemed illegal. But she is determined to stay in the camp and fight the system and prejudices to try to find out the truth about her brother. 

When asked if she will be able to stay in a place where she is judged, feared, and disliked just because of the magical label slapped on her before anyone even tries to know her she says “I’ve been practicing for that my whole life.” 

And you just feel the truth of this. 

Amari already knows at just 12 years old that much of the world judges her on her skin and address. When the magical world also judges her for something she has no choice in being she doesn’t resort to hate or giving in to the assumptions, she learns and grows and shows them the error of their ways. 

This is an incredible story and opening book to a series. And Amari is my hero!!

(Finished August 8, 2021)

Wings of Shadow (Crown of Feathers #3) by Nicki Pau Preto

 Book Review:

Wings of Shadow 

🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶5🪶

Everything I could have wished for in a series finale and more. 

I’m not going to say much because this book is still so new I fear spoiling anyone. And this one needs to be experienced unspoiled. 

So my vague review is this- the action and fight scenes are so wonderfully written. The choreography invoked such powerful images in my mind. 

The tension and worry was visceral. 

The character growth over the trilogy is tightly and powerfully written to its conclusion in this book. 

Love and sacrifice. Found family. Queer characters. True partnerships. It’s all here. 

And PHOENIXES!!!! 

Trust me and read the Crown of Feathers trilogy if you haven’t yet. 

(Finished August 5, 2021)