#YA on StoryGraph

[francescaswords]

Pre-Orders for Rotting Trees are open, with a bonus Bezzina's short story for pre-orders!

Hello! Happy Halloween/five year anniversary of the return of My Chemical Romance to all who celebrate. I’m quite excited to announce that Rotting Trees will release as an ebook and a paperback on 31st January 2025 and you can pre-order it now from all major retailers at a very nice little discount. It will be available from your local bookshops too – just ask them to order it in for collection!…

[glitteredbubbles]

I forgot to share, but here’s my reading wrap-up from April!!

[psychotic-llamas16]

Still got 4 more books to try and finish this month :/

Baffles me that I used to be able to hit 80-100+ with ease when I was younger.

What happened to that reading drive? That stamina? That hunger for words? Where did it go?

[lokasreads]

Wednesday Wrap-Up: March 5th

Hello hello!

I hope everyone's had a better week than I have. The perils of working full-time, taking college classes, and deciding to start a blog. Who would've guessed that stresses you out? ╮(￣▽￣"")╭

Since this is the first week, we won't have a Finished This Week section, but the rest of the format will be the same in the following weeks.

Be sure to check out the links below - two of this week's books are featured in giveaways on Storygraph and/or Goodreads!

Current Reads:

Schroeder by Neal Cassidy (Storygraph | Goodreads) check out either of the links to enter a giveaway for a free copy! A literary thriller/horror with stream-of-consciousness narration, Schroeder takes us along for the titular character's ride of violence through the city. A true antihero, you can't help but empathize with the narrator's astute observations of the world around him and even his thoughts and feelings about himself and the way he's treated, only to be unceremoniously yanked back into reality when he reaches the next stop on his list.

Breaking Generational Silence: A Guide to Disrupt Unhealthy Family Patterns and Heal Inherited Trauma by Nicole Russell-Wharton (Storygraph | Goodreads) another giveaway in Storygraph! A psychology and mental health self-help book, Breaking Generational Silence focuses on the way repressed trauma can affect you generations down the line - and, of course, how to break the cycle. Whether we realize it or not, every family has their own form of generational silence to break, but Russell-Wharton provides a much-needed diverse, intersectional lens to the topic that too often seems to only be discussed by white women.

Up Next:

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven (Storygraph | Goodreads) Yet another YA romance with reincarnated soulmates? Not quite. Evelyn remembers all of her past lives, including falling in love with - and being killed by - a supernatural being named Arden. Desperate to live longer than she ever has before to donate blood marrow to her sister, Evelyn becomes the hunter in this reincarnation, searching for Arden to break the curse and maybe, just maybe, not fall in love this time.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Storygraph | Goodreads) I know, I know, I'm late to the party. A wildly popular YA fantasy with a Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone is the beginning of Bardugo's "Grishaverse", with related books that go beyond the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This book follows a Grisha soldier in Ravka's army, gifted (or cursed, depending on who you ask) with magical abilities that could reunite her war-torn country or destroy it altogether. I was introduced to the Grishaverse after reading the Six of Crows duology last month - thank you, as always, Noé for your amazing recommendations - and cannot wait to dig into the book that started it all. And yes, King of Scars is also on my TBR. ¬‿¬

Many thanks to NetGalley, M & S Publishing (Schroeder), Sounds True Publishing (Breaking Generational Silence), and St. Martin's Press (Our Infinite Fates) for the ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

As always, check out my Linktree to find me on Storygraph, Goodreads, and Instagram.

[amiasmoon]

only reason I read sm books was graphic novels !!

[llycaons]

oh help my other book just became available...I've been waiting on it nigh on two months so I've decided to read it first. the first book in the realm of the elderlings by robin hobb - assassin's apprentice. I know I said most historical action books are kind of bad but based on neighborly reputation this one seemed quite good

and I'm less than half an hour in, but it all appearances, it IS. it's very absorbing, the language rich and atmospheric. beginning the story with a retelling of the (rather unique) nation's history and culture that breaks off into a personal meditation is very impactful - this man wants to do this favor for a friend of his, but the memories of his own past are too painful and he turns to them instead. it's an effective opener - I care about him and I want to know what's happened to him as a child

rather than the commonplace fantasy YA (geared towards boys, that is) that relies on action or tension to grab the reader, this one is more reflective and emotional, deep-set in its sensations rather than entirely relying on external pressures. an immediately internally compelling narrative is more difficult to achieve (and rarer for this genre), but it usually sustains interest far more successfully and with longer-term emotional investment. a book with almost the same name I tried to read about ten years ago - ranger's apprentice - had a similar setup but did everything the opposite way. all heart-stoppingly exciting pressures were external, so I didn't care about the character at all and dropped the book very soon because he seemed so flat and once the pressures stopped, there seemed to be nothing there

[callixton]

borrowing this from @devilsskettle ! 9 books i want to read in the new year :) if two of them are repeats from like three years ago don’t worry abt it that will change this year !

tagging @goosemixtapes @freddieandflorence @libraryfag and anyone else who would like to

[crookedcrowclub]

Review for A Conjuring of Light by V .E. Schwab

5/5 ⭐️

WOW.

reading this felt like reading a crossover novel of all my favourite characters from the previous two books because each of them were so incredibly fleshed out that this could’ve been anyone’s story. it feels as if i’ve met these characters and had conversations with them because they seemed so tangible.

Plot & Pacing

what book 2 lacked in terms of plot and pacing, book 3 more than made up for it. the story picks up right where book 2 left off and the momentum doesn’t slow down one bit. it only kept getting better with surprises and twists at every turn. if you know me, you know that books are my sole sustenance when it comes to escaping the horrors of reality and ACOL swept me off my feet from the very first chapter!

Characters

the character dynamics were much more nuanced and their interactions were TO DIE FOR (!!!) not to mention, they all had insane chemistry with each other and some wholesome moments thrown in as well. kell, lila, and holland have cemented themselves as my ultimate disaster trio and i just couldn’t get enough of them.

the flashback scenes gave a deeper insight into each of the characters’ backstory and i ended up caring more about them than i imagined. holland’s especially packed a punch. his chapters were agonizing to read, emotionally charged and tugged at my heartstrings. i saw him as the villain at the beginning of this trilogy but it turns out, he’s an anti-hero who deserves to be happy after everything he’s been through. his chapters alone were a solid 5/5 stars for me, and he has earned a top ten spot in my Most Favourite Fucked Up Characters of All Time 😌.

as for lila, she had it all: beauty, brains and brawn! but besides that, we also see her come to terms with her attachment and abandonment issues that she’s struggled with since book 1. her arc was moving yet powerful. most of it strongly resonated with me because it hit too close to home. delilah bard is basically me but in different font and i adore my knife wife so much 🫶🏼.

kell’s daring persona that i sorely missed in book 2 made a sweeping comeback and his character was even more striking than before! unlike in the previous book, he was very level-headed in this one and took on the fitting role of a natural leader who guided his team in their quest to defeat evil. he kinda reminded me of kaz with the easy way he almost always got the final word. his chapters were poignant with direction and focus, which was refreshing to read.

i was thrilled that we finally got alucard’s POV (!!!!) i like his character but sadly, he didn’t really stand out in the book for me. it felt as if he was merely a plot piece to keep the story going. things were happening and he was just kinda there. either way, i enjoyed being in his head and learning more about his past.

rhy was less annoying and bratty (thank goodness) which i think had a lot to do with alucard’s presence at the beginning. he also had lesser chapters in this book but he started growing on me around the 70% mark. i liked how resilient he was in never giving up or cowering in face of adversity and how much he cared for his people. towards the end, he proved to be a well rounded character with a satisfying arc.

side mention: the minor characters (hastra, lenos, tieren, maris, ned, maxim, emira, even cora!) were amazingly well developed and despite their limited page time, they stole the show all the same! i would deadass be down to read each of their spinoff stories if the author ever decided to write them.

Conclusion

overall, ACOL struck a perfect balance between character-driven and plot-driven storyline to the point where the characters ceased to be fictional and started seeming like actual people in my head. not only that, this trilogy felt like getting a warm hug from an old friend because it reminded me of six of crows and a couple other YA novels which i loved during that time. it was nostalgic reading it even though i’d never read it before.

as for the ending, it was satisfying but the suspense was over quick. i wanted to see more action in the final fight scene after all that buildup but either way, it was fulfilling to see my beloved characters find closure after everything that happened. i can see where the continuation trilogy is headed and im beyond excited to read it!

ANOSHE✨

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

The Meadows

YA dystopian set in a hyper-surveilled future world devastated by climate change

a girl from a rural seaside town is offered a place in a school that only takes the ‘best and brightest’ - and jumps at the chance, but quickly finds out things are not as they seem: they’re there to be conditioned into obedient wives, and become part of the society which enforces the belief that end of the world was caused by people ‘going against nature’

switches back and forth between then and a few years later, when she’s graduated and working as an adjudicator monitoring her fellow graduates, so she can defer her own requirement to get married and search for the former classmate she loved who was taken away after they attempted escape

slow building and twisty, lesbian MC

[mediashadowreads]

°․✶ JULY WRAP UP & AUGUST HOPEFULS

July was a bit of an odd month for me, it was busy at work, busy at home and we were dealing with some very up and down weather. Including my arch nemesis.. heat. Anyone that knows me knows I despise the heat and frankly I barely function in it. Add onto that the fact I’ve been dealing with one of my cats being injured (he’s fine now, I’m just an anxious fur baby parent) as well as my birthday at…

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I finished Malinda Lo's novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club early this morning (before bed), and as I was trying to fall asleep afterward I was like, 'Oooooooh my god I really want to read more just-as-good-as-that-book-was historical fiction!!!' and as I was idly scrolling through the boards on Neopets just now I fucking noticed in someone's signature 'Recommended reading' and it was of a historical fiction book set in (or starting in, I guess?) El Salvador about Indigenous women!?!?!?!?!? I COULD NOT ASK FOR A BETTER REC (I hope - apparently it's not even out yet but MANNNNN I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT!!), at least that almost perfectly aligns with my interests and what I like to read!?! Hello synchronicity, I LOVE YOU.

[reliablenarrators]

kissing the kiss quotient goodbye

the kiss quotient (2018) by helen hoang. 24.04.2024

the kiss quotient is filled with sex. lots of it. so much that it’s mind boggling that it won the goodreads romance award when really, it’s just smut with a dash of autism representation. the smut is more cringe than hot and there are way more scenes than necessary. like, at one point michael, our martial arts boy of the story, says “you're milking my fingers stella” and well, just no. no, thank you. and sure, maybe it’s sweet, but it’s also a hell of a turn off if someone calls your pussy a sweet potato or a little bird. ladies, try it out on the guys when you’re in the sheets and get back to us on how successful it is. (we have an hypothesis)

but back to the beginning. in the kiss quotient we meet stella, a 30 year old successful woman working as an econometrist in silicon valley (and let’s just here take a moment of silence for how obvious it is that the author is not a mathematician by how stella is portrayed like a stereotypical brainiac). and why oh why is this book called the kiss quotient when there’s no mention of any kiss quotients, i guess coherency is too much to ask for. 

the maths part isn’t important, but what’s really important for the plot is that stella is autistic and hasn’t really told anyone outside of her close family - consisting of her mother and father and like every only child (and autistic adult apparently) ever, she doesn’t have any friends. but luckily, she’s uber rich and is capable of buying a tesla for every time michael comes up with a new nickname for her pussy. and have we mentioned that her mother is weirdly obsessed with trying to marry off her strong independent daughter (who really don’t need no man!) so stella and michael meet each other because she hires him as an escort wanting to learn how to fuck. she has experience, but only with jerks (but which men in their twenties are not?!). so is this reverse pretty woman really giving hashtag slaying the day away, or?

and of course, stella’s autism can just be ‘solved’ by some very good shagging by michael. i think we should all try that next time we’re feeling anxious. it’s a curiously problematic take on an autistic character from an author who herself is diagnosed with autism.

the miscommunication trope is on full throttle here, although very badly executed. early on, when michael’s sweet cousin (whose name slips our mind, but he’s cute and probably more of the ideal man we all want) notices it, michael lets stella know that he knows in a very sweet lowkey way to which she acknowledged it. later on, it gets turned into this big reveal and they have a huge fight about it and as a reader you just kinda want to skip through to the end.

the point of view changes throughout the story completely forgetting our main character and the book ends up revolving around michael’s daddy issues instead of stella’s autism because her autistic traits have magically disappeared at michael’s touch. that’s what love will do to ya. so the whole premise of autism representation and stella being a girl boss just falls a bit flat when michael is the knight in shining armour who has so much more wisdom and experience than stella and how all her issues are solved by love and sex (where did the girl boss go?). and then we have phillip, her one dimensional jerk coworker, whose only contribution to the plot is being the villain michael can save her from.

is michael hot? well, not in our top 3 over book boyfriends. very forgettable (which doesn’t say much in bridget’s case). he’s sweet and cute and a good brother who cooks for his whole family which consists of his mum, many sisters and some more we forgot. the banter he has with his family is cute, so adorably written that whatever daddy issues he has gets forgotten by us and the author herself - and when it does finally get revealed it’s really fucking boring. come up with something original for once! we think he should have had it way worse for him to act so sulky. 

in the end, the kiss quotient is really just another booktok dark romance book in the sea of tiktok books. that it has been turned into somewhat of a franchise tells you everything about the publishing industry nowadays and nothing about complex female characters. we all like to read cheesy chickflicks, that’s the reason we wrote this, but perhaps we should raise the standards, girlies. if anyone can recommend a good fun, romance that’s not about dorky girls and creepy men and their toxic relationship, please do let us know.

[everythingseverywheres]

#bishova fanfics have led me to these 2 #lgbtqia books and a really cool app alternative to Goodreads called storygraph.

Thanks kids 🤓

Send similar books my way!

[thebestbookrecommendations]

Series Recommendation:

The Paper Magician Series - Charlie N. Holmberg

The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician #1)

The Glass Magician (The Paper Magician #2)

The Master Magician (The Paper Magician #3)

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Keywords: Magic, Romance, Apprenticeship

Length: Short

Rating: #1 - 3/5, #2 - 4/5, #3 - 4/5

Find on Goodreads:

Find on StoryGraph:

[saturdaynightghostclub]

Alright this is a long shot since I’ve been MIA but does anyone have book recommendations? I mean ANY books, regardless of genre, themes, etc—part of my job is reader’s advisory but I’m in the biggest reading slump of my life and I can’t keep telling people to check out Lessons in Chemistry just because it’s popular right now.

…also if anyone wanted to be friends on Storygraph I’d be cool with that

[alwri-tes]

My books are on Storygraph now!