The Girls with No Names: A Book Review

This fantastic historical fiction takes place in New York City in the 1910s and follows the stories of girls whose families are torn apart. I love the time period of this novel, and I was interested in learning about women's suffrage, poor working conditions, and houses (more like prisons) for disobedient girls. I don't often find historical fictions taking place in the 1910s, and I think this novel deserves a lot of attention and praise for its research as well as its plot, characters, and writing.

I instantly connected to all the characters in this book. They are well-rounded, imperfect, interesting, and even lovable. The story switches among three points of view, and I was surprised that I loved them all equally. The plot moves at just the right pace—slow enough to soak in the historical details and fast enough to keep me reading. In fact, I couldn't put the book down, and I read it all in one sitting.

After I finished the book, I kept thinking about the characters and what they went through. In fact, I'm still thinking about them. This book left an impression on me, and I'm not likely to forget it anytime soon. I highly recommend this book for those who love historical fiction and the 1910s and anyone who enjoys a solid story of sisterly love, hope, and overcoming hardships.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Content Warnings: abuse, stillborn/dead infants, sexual assault, and rape.

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row for the ARC! This book will be published January 7, 2020.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

A Love Hate Thing: A Book Review

A Love Hate Thing is a cute, contemporary love story. Tyson Trice comes from a troubled past and meets Nandy, who hasn't had to deal with anything more horrible than a hang nail or eating takeout for dinner every night. Their worlds collide and high school drama begins as they try to reconcile their childhood friendship and who they are today.

This story kept me engaged and wanting to read until the end. However, this book feels too much like a debut novel. The tropes are a little too cliched for me—boy from a troubled past falls for a rich girl, the troubled past simply can't stay in the past, the rich girls feels like she needs to be on a fruit and vegetable diet to fit into a pageant dress, the classic beach parties, etc. I also had trouble looking past the cliched dialogue tags and constant F-words. But the story is cute and has some great familial relationships in it that aren't often seen in contemporary teen fiction. If you're looking for a cute, surface-level romance, this is a great one!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Content Warnings: murder, domestic violence/abuse, child abuse, frequent swearing.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC! This book will be published January 7, 2020.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Saving Savannah: A Book Review

Saving Savannah takes a close look at America in 1919, particularly with African American social changes. Savannah is a high-born African American struggling to find her place among her race and her high society. Tonya Bolden writes in a lyrical prose full of style and experimentation, which made it both fun to read and confusing at times.

The plot is slow in Saving Savannah. We follow Savannah closely through her thought processes and mini adventures (which are few). In fact, nothing much happens until the last 60% of the book. I also found little character development. In fact, most of the story elements were missing or underwhelming, and I wonder if this is because the history of this time overshadowed everything else. This book's purpose seems to be educating teens and young adults about the social issues in this time rather than telling a thrilling story. This is fine, but not what I was expecting. I would have appreciated more story.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC! This book will be published January 14, 2020.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Woven in Moonlight: A Book Review

Woven in Moonlight is a spellbinding adventure in Bolivia, complete with magic, decoys, political wars, weaving, romance, friendships, tyrants, secrets, and cute woven animals. I enjoyed the plot that surrounded political war between two groups of people and a main character as a decoy in an enemy place. The side characters are also well developed and I grew to love them. Bolivian culture is also a strong point in this novel with plenty of Spanish words and descriptions of Bolivian food.

This is a solid fantasy novel. I enjoyed reading it, especially because it's different than any other fantasy novel I've ever read. I do wish there was more romance. And I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending. But I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy! I great debut by Isabel Ibanez. I can't wait to read her next book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4.5
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the ARC! This book will be published January 7, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Refraction: A Book Review

I never read sci fi. Never. In fact, Refraction by Naomi Hughes is the first sci fi book I've picked up in 2019. And I absolutely loved it. The description on the back of the book drew me in right away. Monsters coming out of mirrors? Fog and monsters taking over the world? A character in an illegal mirror trade? It sounded so intriguing and unique that I had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

The story follows Marty, an illegal mirror trader who is trying to find his brother who he hasn't seen since the alien ship came and monsters started coming out of mirrors. But he gets caught by the mayor's son, Elliot, and they get exiled to an abandoned city in the fog where the monsters run wild. And as they try to survive their exile, they start to find out more about the the monsters, the mirrors, and the destruction that's coming. It's one of those books you can't put down.

One of my favorite things about this book is the enemies-to-friends relationship between Marty and Elliot. It is perfectly done and adds a great element to the story. I also love the OCD representation through Marty. It plays a real part in his life and this book has some great messages to those who are dealing with it and how to help those who are dealing with it.

Pick this book up if you want a great sci fi story that has twists you won't see coming and a unique concept. It will keep you hooked until the end and I guarantee I'll keep thinking about it for days to come.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the ARC! This book will be published November 5, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Echo North: A Book Review

I have been searching for a new retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon for years after East by Edith Pattou claimed my heart. I've always loved this fairytale and I've read so many renditions of it. However, none have captured my heart like Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer. This is the retelling I've been looking for.

It has everything I could want. There is more romance in this book than other retellings, which I have been wanting to see in this fairytale. There is more world building, complete with a mysterious, living house and a magical library that lets you live inside and experience the story rather than merely read it. And to top it all off, there is enchantment, a main character that I love, and beautiful writing. I love every element of this book.

Echo North will definitely go on my all-time-favorites list and I will be recommending it to anyone who loves fairytales (especially this one) and magical libraries.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Holly Banks Full of Angst: A Book Review

Holly Banks's arrival in the village of Primm brings on a crazy adventure, complete with a crazy PTA president, her daughter's first days of kindergarten, and learning the "hip" ways of Primm. Every chapter has craziness, humor, cringing, and mom life, and the plot moves quite fast, taking place in only a week. In fact, the plot is so fast that I needed a break from all the craziness. And many of the things that happened seemed too unrealistic and too crazy to me. How many bad things can happen in a week? Apparently a lot. It was like watching a mom version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on repeat and it gave me anxiety, if I'm being honest. I also don't know if I am supposed to take this book seriously, or if it's a satire on mom life and the PTA. Maybe both?

The writing in this book is perfect. I loved the fake swearing, the screenplay, texting, and email formats thrown in, and the humor. The characters are also entertaining, though perhaps somewhat unrealistic (looking at you, Mary-Margaret). I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the positive message of standing up for yourself, working together, and loving people around you.

Overall, this book is fun, if not a little crazy. I would recommend it to moms who want a good laugh and want a reminder that it could be a lot worse, especially in the village of Primm.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 3

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the ARC! This book will be released November 1, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!