#tender beasts

[richincolor]

We've got five different books on our radar this week! Which ones have caught your eye?

Kindling by Traci Chee HarperCollins

Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives. Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs. Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.

Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School by Tiffany Jewell Versify

From preschool to higher education and everything in between, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School focuses on the experiences Black and Brown students face as a direct result of the racism built into schools across the United States. The overarching nonfiction narrative follows author Tiffany Jewell from early elementary school through her time at college, unpacking the history of systemic racism in the American educational system along the way. Throughout the book, other writers of the global majority share a wide variety of personal narratives and stories based on their own school experiences. Contributors include New York Times bestseller Joanna Ho; award winners Minh Lê, Randy Ribay, and Torrey Maldonado; authors James Bird and Rebekah Borucki; author-educators Amelia A. Sherwood, Roberto Germán, Liz Kleinrock, Gary R. Gray Jr., Lorena Germán, Patrick Harris II, shea wesley martin, David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris, Ozy Aloziem, Gayatri Sethi, and Dulce-Marie Flecha; and even a couple of teen writers! Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School provides young folks with the context to think critically about and chart their own course through their current schooling—and any future schooling they may pursue.

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park & translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort Delacorte Press

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart. Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city. The residents of Snowglobe have fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves. Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star—and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life. Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach. Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean.

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana Wednesday Books

All My Rage meets The Poet X in this electric debut that explores a Muslim teen finding her voice in a post-9/11 America. Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece - the poet that will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option. When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be. With a touch of magic and poetry sprinkled throughout, Sarah Mughal Rana's Hope Ablaze is heartbreaking, often funny, and ultimately uplifting, not only celebrating the Islamic faith and Pakistani culture, but simultaneously confronting racism and Islamophobia with unflinching bravery.

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury Margaret K. McElderry Books

Sunny Behre has four siblings, but only one is a murderer. With the death of Sunny’s mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny’s once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family’s next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious “Take care of Dom.” The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny…and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother’s simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he’s innocent, and although Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another. As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to preserve the family she’s always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build.

[bensbooks]

Upcoming in 2024: Tender Beasts

With the death of Sunny’s mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny’s once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family’s next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious “Take care of Dom.” The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny… and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother’s simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he’s innocent, and although Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another. As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to preserve the family she’s always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build.

Tender Beasts is a young adult fantasy horror, set for release February 27!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: After her private school is rocked by a gruesome murder, a teen tries to find the real killer and clear her brother’s name in this psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Taking of Jake Livingston and Ace of Spades.

Sunny Behre has four siblings, but only one is a murderer.

With the death of Sunny’s mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny’s once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family’s next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious note: “Take care of Dom.”

The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny…and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother’s simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he’s innocent, and although Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another.

As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to choose: preserve the family she’s always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build.

Review:

A bear will protect it's family... or die trying. Sunny Behre has four siblings and one of them is a murderer... yet when her mother dies Sunny's picture perfect life is thrown into chaos. Sunny was groomed to be the next family leader yet when the only thing she receives in her mother's will reading is a note saying "Take care of Dom" Sunny is left mystified... especially since Dom, her youngest brother, is the one found guilty of second-degree murder. Sunny is determined to fulfill her mom's wishes... but when more of her classmates begin getting murdered and Sunny finds her brother covered in blood... she is beginning to realize taking care of Dom is going to be harder than she though. It's only worse when there is a real killer out there and the fact that Sunny's family has its own dark secrets... secrets that demand to be paid in blood and sacrifice... secrets that will cost Sunny and the Bhere family everything if they don't find a way to solve it and catch the murderer. This was such a fantastic thriller mystery read, it had cursed family secrets, touch of paranormal horror, a who dun it mystery, and a very complicated family relationship. This was so much fun and I loved the constant "is it really a demon or is it all make believe to cover for the sins" element of the story. It truly had me guessing and at the edge of my seat all the while I was reading this. I loved the family relationship in this one because it was so complex, all the siblings loved each other but each wanted to prove to their mom that they were special, and when pitted against each other, and forced to do things that would hurt each other or in the name of protecting each other, all their relationships were tested. This is a great horror read and I would absolutely recommend it!!!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Tender Beasts

YA thriller/horror

follows a girl whose family owns a private school, and is seen as perfect - except for her younger brother, who’s always left out of the family

when she finds a classmate murdered, and her brother with blood on his hands claiming innocence, she takes it upon herself to clear her brother’s (and family’s) name - even though she’s not sure if he’s innocent or not, especially when more bodies keep showing up, and she uncovers more about her family’s past

family dynamics, how wealth and racism intersect, and generational trauma

[the-worlds-between-pages]

Tender Beasts by: Liselle Sambury

Published by: Simon Schuster Publication Date: 2 27 2024 I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher. Now, where do I even start to review this book? Liselle Sambury excels in her fourth YA Book. A story about the Beher family after the loss of their Matriarch. A rich family in Canada that runs an academy that allows low…

[rosepetals1984]

Review: "Tender Beasts" by Liselle Sambury

Quick review for a progressive read. Whew, this book was a whole journey. Where do I start? Well, I can definitely tell you for young adult horror titles that will creep you out with all the layers and gore to it, “Tender Beasts” does the job well. I attempted to read this book once before and had to stop because a few of the depictions of the animal horror were like “Nah, let me try this again…

[readwithsugar]

Take your teddy and put him on your nose. Take your teddy and put him on your toes. Watch the teddy shake, make the teddy cry. Let the teddy bleed, that’s how the teddy dies. Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

( buy the book ) • ( full review here )

[thegoodmorningman]

The Beast is Love!!!

[boarcide]

I truly think that one of the biggest tragedies in BEAST in regards to the Akutagawa siblings is that, at the core of it, Ryuunosuke viewed himself as a beast, and showed his love in a way a beast would, while Gin was the only person who ever saw him as human and judged him accordingly. She did not see a beast acting like a beast, the way everybody else did, she saw a human acting like a beast and it’s part of what drove her away.

The ADA saw their rookie detective at his worst, and watched—and continues to watch—him grow from a beast to a human over time. Consumed by hatred and only knowing how to be cruel, and slowly learning how to become human.

Gin saw her brother at his best—the best he could be in their situation—and then watched him grow from a boy to a beast within moments. The scraps of humanity that he had, all disappearing into rage so primal it no longer made him seem human.

[metamorphesque]

'My Sweet and Tender Beast', Emil Loteanu (1978)

[oddverse]

Idk what I like more for propesci, friends with benefits to lovers or 50k word slow burn one sided enemies to friends to lovers 10 chapters with a companion piece to match

[ardentinwoe]

Oh to be held by a woman who could kill you…

Valerie belongs to @mentemori

[fairiegardens]

All I’ve read this year is horror (and one whodunnit)

[eddie-rifff]

i need genesis fans to open their hearts to ant phillips and his solo work. take my hand. listen to wise after the event. you like open tuning, dont you boy? fingerpicking? something to nod your head along to pensively?

[the-realmsdelight]

Writing in Daniela’s pov has made me cry and laugh so far.

She’s so cute 🥰

[dozydawn]

Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat Original Dance “Waltz” 1999.

My Sweet and Tender Beast by Eugen Doga.

“At times it was simply mesmeric.”