Young Adult

June 7, 2022

7ish books to read for Pride Month in 2022!

Happy Pride! I know it’s been a hot minute since I posted on this blog, but to be honest I’ve been feeling pretty drained, physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc. But it’s Pride Month, and I’ve been burying my feelings by watching Heartstopper on repeat, alternating with re-reading the comics… you know, normal coping strategies! In all seriousness, I have come to this humble blog to offer you, out of the goodness of my heart, a 7ish recommendations of queer books you might want to read this month. (Why 7? Because it’s my favorite number, and everyone always makes lists of either 5 or 10 and that’s basic. Do you want me to be basic during Pride Month??)

January 27, 2021

Book Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Book Review

Someone told me there was a YA fantasy set in 1920s Shanghai loosely based on Romeo and Juliet and I was hooked. These Violent Delights was everything I needed, wanted, expected, and more. I do not always go for romance tropes, but I enjoyed the twist on the enemies to lovers trope of Romeo and Juliet to enemies to lovers to enemies to reluctant allies as they work together to fight the evil that has risen in the streets of Shanghai.

January 20, 2021

Book Review: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Book Review

Reading You Should See Me in a Crown was like catching a breath of fresh air. This delightful young adult novel is invigorating; I am incredibly moved by the story of its protagonist, Liz Lighty. I enjoyed her story line for a few reasons, but the one that stands out is how she ultimately stays […]

January 6, 2021

Book Review: Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Book Review

When someone hands me a book and says that it is one of the best books I will ever read I am often skeptical. There is no reason to be skeptical when it comes to Raybearer, the debut novel of Jordan Ifueko. From its first pages I was utterly enchanted by its protagonist, Tarsai, who […]

December 2, 2020

Book Review: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Book Review

If you think you have seen it all when it comes to Cinderella stories and you have not read Cinderella is Dead, then you are wrong. Sophia is one of many girls in Lille who has grown up learning the story of Cinderella — the approved palace version, which according to the laws of the […]

October 28, 2020

Book Review: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Book Review

Do you ever finish a book and then just take a moment to bask in the glow of how fantastic it was? There is a feeling of wholesome contentment just from the completeness of it all. There will always be little things about any book that we wish there were more or less of, but […]

February 25, 2020

Book Reviews in Review Part II: Books that Center Blackness

Book Review

Over the course of my time writing this blog I’ve reviewed a lot of books, many of which center blackness including books that discuss racism as a larger topic and thus also include marginalization on a wider scale. I thought that, seeing as how this is my last post during Black History Month, it would […]

July 26, 2019

Book Review: This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender

Book Review

I’ve been on a bit of a nonfiction kick lately but This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story brought me right back in to remembering why I love YA fiction just as much. There are many epic love stories that are threaded throughout this book, which is representative of so many kinds of love. […]

April 16, 2019

Book Review: A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

Book Review

With all the stress of life, I felt myself yearning for something that I could read as a kind of palate cleanser, and I was directed toward the YA fantasy of my dreams in the form of L.L. McKinney’s excellent debut novel A Blade So Black. As a present-day interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, A […]

March 1, 2019

Book Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Book Review

Pride and Prejudice has been adapted over and over again, but I think I have found my new favorite in Ibi Zoboi’s Pride.[1] The book is narrated in the first person by Zuri Benitez, a seventeen year old girl living in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The story starts at the beginning of summer vacation, when two important […]

November 16, 2018

On Writing About Harry Potter… Again

Academic, Fandom, Reflection

The great thing about an independent study is that I get to focus on what most interests me about a given topic, and time and time again it seems that I am finding myself drawn to Harry Potter. I’ve often joked that given six degrees I can connect anything to the series thematically, and my […]

November 9, 2018

Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Book Review

I have been wanting to read The Hate U Give for over a year now, and I am so glad that I finally got around to doing so. My hesitancy in reading this book was not insignificant. I was assured of its quality, and of that I had no doubt, but I knew that this […]

June 19, 2018

Book Review: Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Book Review

From the first line about Monday mornings and having an existential crisis I just knew that I was going to love Noteworthy by Riley Redgate. The premise of what is now my new favorite YA novel is that Jordan Sun, a student at the fictional Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts, has been rejected […]