Review: ‘Nevermoor’ by Jennifer Townsend

I loved this magical, inventive and fun book! I don’t often read middle grade, but I’m so glad I gave this one a go.

The main character is a smart, brave girl named Morrigan Crow. But she’s cursed and blamed for local misfortune — and fated to die on her 11th birthday. But then a remarkable man named Jupiter North whisks her away into the safety of a magical city called Nevermoor. But once there Morrigan must continue to show her strength as she competes for a place in the Wundrous Society, which will keep her safe and allow her to stay in Nevermoor.

It’s easy to compare any middle grade magical novel to Harry Potter, but this one is truly unique, featuring a captivating premise and world. I love the characters Townsend has created as well, from a giant cat named Fenestra to Morrigan’s close friend Hawthorne, and of course the strange and flighty Jupiter North.

This is a must-read for anyone who loves light, fun and whimsical books. I’ll be diving into the sequel soon!

Five out of five stars.

Review: ‘All This Could Be Yours’ by Jami Attenberg

Jami Attenberg continues to be among my favorite authors, and All This Could Be Yours was one of my favorite reads of the last couple months.

The story starts when patriarch of the Tuchman family, Victor, suffers a heart attack and lays dying in the hospital. His daughter, Alex, seeks to learn more about her father’s dark and criminal past, while the reader learns all about this vicious man and his broken family through each of the family members.

I love Attenberg’s beautiful use of language and deep dives into each of the characters who make up this supremely dysfunctional family. Her insights into those who surround the family also are very powerful and poignant. I thought I’d dislike most of the characters in this book, but besides the irredeemable Victor, I found myself sympathizing with those who got caught in his orbit.

If you love stories about dysfunctional families, dark secrets and strong characters, this is the book for you.

Five out of five stars.

Review: ‘Red at the Bone’ by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson never fails to wow me with her writing. This novel is simple in concept: it starts in 2001 with a coming of age celebration for 16-year-old Melody. But sixteen years earlier that dress was meant for her mother, who never got to wear it after becoming pregnant.

Woodson deftly switches narrators and timelines, giving the readers insight into the events that led up to Melody’s party. Chapters are narrated by Melody herself, her mother, father, and grandparents. There were only a couple times I wasn’t sure who was narrating or what timeline I was in; Woodson does a good job of grounding you in each moment and creating distinct voices and perspectives for each charater.

This was a moving portrait of a family and the ups and downs of relationships, love, and fear between its members, as well as a story that highlights things like ambition, race and class. Eloquently told and full of hope and heart, Woodson delivers a story that will stick with you.

Four and a half stars out of five.

Review: ‘A Pure Heart’ by Rajia Hassib

A Pure Heart is definitely my favorite book of August and possibly of the summer. It’s a beautifully told tale of family, faith, identity and grief.

I haven’t read many books set in Egypt, and I loved the way Rajia Hassib blended Egyptian history past and present into this novel, including the impacts of the Arab Spring.

The story is about two sisters, Gameela and Rose, born and raised in Egypt and very close until their paths begin to diverge as they grow older and their hearts yearn for different things. Gameela starts to embrace her religion more fervently, wearing the hijab, while Rose marries an American and immigrates to the U.S.

While Rose is abroad, Gameela is killed in a terrorist attack, but there’s mystery to why she was where the attack occurred in the first place. A mystery Rose is determined to solve to better understand her sister.

I loved the characters, the descriptions of Egypt and how the story slowly unfolded to give a better glimpse into the choices and actions of both Rose and Gameela. I highly recommend this poignant and powerful book.

Five out of five stars.

Review: ‘The Lightest Object in the Universe’

Ever read a book that you unexpectedly love? That pulls you in from the start, but you can’t really explain why you enjoyed it so much?

That’s The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele for me. And it’s her debut novel.

This isn’t a groundbreaking novel and it’s not full of action or suspension. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale in the same vein of many others. But there’s so much hope in this novel. It follows

the aftermath of years of unrest and turmoil in the United States that ends with the power grid going down. I always wonder what would happen to me in a post-apocalypse, but maybe in the world Eisele has created I’d find a community and survive.

And at its core this is a love story. Beatrix is in California and thinks of fleeing to a farm where friends have gone, but she decides to stay and to rebuild the community where she is. Carson is on the East Coast, and with nothing left for him there, he heads West, toward Beatrix. We learn of their relationship in bits a pieces as Carson takes to dangerous roads and Beatrix tries to get people in her community to stay. There’s a preacher on the radio (some technology remains through old-fashioned ingenuity) who wants everyone to head to “the Center,” a sanctuary he has built in the middle of the country. Beatrix feels there would be nothing better there for people. And yet they leave. She and her friends create their own radio show to get people to stay; they use the power of storytelling to instill hope and make sense of their new reality. And Carson trudges on, meeting both kindness and violence on the road.

I’m not sure there been a post-apocalyptic novel that is so infused with hope and kindness and humanity. It makes you think even if things go bad, we might come out of it all right. And maybe that’s what we all need, here in the present, in these times. Simple hope.

Five out of five stars.

Review: ‘The Dragon Republic’ by R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang’s follow up to The Poppy War is just as good, if not better, than the first book. I love this world she has created, one based off real events in Chinese history but also brimming with magic and unique characters.

The fight for power and the war continues in this book, with Rin grappling with the events that transpired at the end of the first. This is war fantasy, but there are moments of humor infused throughout, which I enjoy. It’s narrated by Rin, who is a wonderful but flawed character. I sometimes didn’t agree with the actions she took or decisions she made, but nothing is black and white when it comes to war. Sometimes there are no winners and losers, and each side always pays a price.

I also enjoyed the relationships portrayed by Kuang. They also are not always black and white and the feelings these characters have for one another are very real and very complex. Love and hate in all their varied forms exist in this book.

My only small qualm is I wish some of the chapters had been from the view of other characters to better understand their feelings, motivations and how they see Rin. She’s a fascinating character, but being in her head for so long was a little tough.

To summarize the plot is hard, but in simple terms, Rin is now on the run, trying to fight her opioid addiction, gain control over her god and hunt down and kill her enemy The Empress. She joins forces with The Dragon Warlord to do so, but realizes she must figure which path is the right one, and who can she trust in a world that just wants to use her. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Four out of five stars.

Review: ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston

Red, White and Royal Blue is probably one of the most hyped summer books, and for me it did not disappoint!

This love story about the son of the (female!) President of the United States and the Prince of England was pure fun; the perfect summer read. And while it was a mostly a light, fun romance, it also didn’t shy away from the challenges that such a relationship would present.

I really enjoyed the banter between Alex and Henry and rooted for them from the start, even if I found Alex a tad bit annoying in the beginning. (A little too much “woe is me, life is hard.”) It also was a little bit long, but was an easy read that kept me wanting to know what the future held for these star-crossed lovers.

I definitely shed a few tears and also found myself chucking now and then at McQuiston’s witty writing.

I highly recommend this one!

Four and a half stars out of five.

Review: ‘Under the Udala Trees’ by Chinelo Okparanta

Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees has been on my bookshelves for a while and I finally dove into it last month.

It’s a beautifully told story, quieter than I thought it would be, less drama, but no less powerful.

It was a little slow at times and I would have loved a bit more depth into some of the other characters. But it was a beautiful story of love and coming of age in a society that is not accepting. It taught me more about Nigeria as well, and the challenges there for the LGBTQ+ population.

Short summary: It’s the story of Ijeoma, who turns 11 when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced girl and they fall in love. When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.

Four stars out of five.

Review: ‘Carry On’ by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors, and I have loved so many of her books. Her writing is beautiful, characters fun and storylines always captivating.

That said, I didn’t love Carry On quite as much as I’d hoped too. It was definitely fun and worth reading, but I also had a few hang ups with it, especially at the beginning.

It’s meant to be fan fiction of a Harry Potter-esque novel from another book, a sort of remix of that magical story many of us know like the back of our hands. And I think Rowell did a great job of that, but especially in the beginning I couldn’t help but seek out the Harry Potter similarities. That pulled me completely out of the story for the first 100-pages or so. I wish she had done things just a little differently from HP. Though having Simon, The Chosen One, and Baz, a vampire, have feelings for each other is a ton of fun.

I did like how she turned the Chosen One trope on its head, even if it did confuse me a bit, and I loved Simon and Baz as characters. Their relationship had me both laughing and swooning, though I did feel that Simon’s feelings for Baz were an abrupt turnaround.

I enjoyed the book much more toward the end when the action ramped up and the HP similarities faded more to the background. I’ll be picking up the next one, Wayward Son, from the library. I want to see what else Baz and Simon have in store.

Three and a half stars out of five.

Review: ‘Soul of the Border’

A big thanks to Atria for the ARC!

This book translated from Italian was a quick and captivating read. It’s a slim volume but holds a wonderful coming of age tale.

Augusto De Boer struggles to feed his family of five, and turns to tobacco smuggling to help make ends meet. The journey is treacherous, across the unforgiving Italian Alps and into Austria where customs officers roam the hills. But De Boer finds success and even brings his daughter, Jole, along to learn the route. But one year Jole’s father never returns and she must make the journey on her own, and uncover the secrets behind her father’s disappearance.

I loved the character of Jole, smart and brave but also young and naive. Her journey was a hard one with some unexpected and painful twists, but I found myself on the edge of my

 seat toward the end as the drama unfolded. I enjoyed how Righetto really draws you into the journey and the perilous but beautiful path Jole and her father take across the alps. I do think some of the chapters were too short and the story would of flowed better if it had been combined into fewer, longer sections. I also felt that the language is not as beautiful as it might have been in Italian, but some languages have word and phrases that just don’t translate as magically in English.
Regardless, if you’re looking for a short, well-told story that will take you on a journey, this is for you!

Four stars out of five.