Inspired by the real-life Patterson family, Krystal Marquis’s The Davenports (Dial Books, 2023) is a young adult, Bridgerton-esque romance set in Chicago in 1910. The Davenports are an extremely wealthy Black family, and that fortune has placed them in a very small section of the American population. William Davenport, a former slave, built his empireContinue reading “THE DAVENPORTS – Krystal Marquis”
Tag Archives: Young Adult
THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER – H.G. Parry
H.G. Parry’s The Magician’s Daughter (Redhook/Orbit 2023) is a very sweet, fairytale of a fantasy. The book will release on 28 Feb 2023, and I owe a huge thanks to the publisher for getting this early copy to me. I greatly appreciate every book that comes my way. Before I get into the review, canContinue reading “THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER – H.G. Parry”
AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW – Zoulfa Katouh
“Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out.” Zoulfa Katouh’s As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (Little, Brown & Co 2022) is a love letter to Syria, each page solidifying that the “where” is always so much a part of the “who” when it comes to identity. TheContinue reading “AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW – Zoulfa Katouh”
BEASTS OF PREY – Ayana Gray
Ayana Gray’s Beasts of Prey (Putnam 2021) has been hanging out on my TBR since Christmas. Following Children of Blood and Bone (we won’t discuss the second installment in *that* series), I developed an appreciation for Pan-African young adult fantasy novels, and there are elements of Beasts of Prey that remind me of Children ofContinue reading “BEASTS OF PREY – Ayana Gray”
CAZADORA – Romina Garber
A few months ago, I reviewed Romina Garber’s Lobizona, and I stated that “there’s a comforting familiarity” to the story. The follow-up, Cazadora: Wolves of No World #2(Wednesday Books, 2021), continues in that familiar pattern but maintains the very unique feel that set Garber’s worldbuilding apart in Lobizona; Garber’s story relies heavily on Argentinian folkloreContinue reading “CAZADORA – Romina Garber”
DEATHLESS DIVIDE – Justina Ireland
“It’s a curious thing, to watch a town fall to the dead.” After being surprisingly pleased with Dread Nation, I couldn’t wait to start Justina Ireland’s sequel, Deathless Divide (Balzer + Bray, 2020). It’s got a phenomenal cover, and I was eager to have more Jane and Kate. I really wish I hadn’t read itContinue reading “DEATHLESS DIVIDE – Justina Ireland”
DREAD NATION – Justina Ireland
“And I suppose I might have grown up better, might have become a proper house girl or even taken Aunt Aggie’s place as House Negro. I might have been a good girl if it had been in the cards. But all of that was dashed to hell two days after I was born, when theContinue reading “DREAD NATION – Justina Ireland”
CLAP WHEN YOU LAND – Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel in verse, Clap When You Land (Harper Teen 2020), sings with beauty, love, loss, and family. Told in alternating views, the novel follows two teenagers whose father is killed in plane crash – neither knowing of the other’s existence. But when the plane goes down and they must accept that their belovedContinue reading “CLAP WHEN YOU LAND – Elizabeth Acevedo”
THE STILLNESS BEFORE THE START – Jennifer Ann Shore
If you’re looking for a well-written YA romance that is sweet with endearing characters, look no further than Jennifer Ann Shore’s The Stillness Before the Start (2020). Shore is phenomenal at capturing the voices of teenage girls who are strong and confident while still figuring life out. I don’t read this genre often, but IContinue reading “THE STILLNESS BEFORE THE START – Jennifer Ann Shore”
EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS – Jennifer Ann Shore
Everywhere, Always (2021) is the first non-vampire novel by Jennifer Ann Shore that I’ve read. Admittedly, romance isn’t my genre of choice as I prefer it to be more of a subplot. When I do read a novel where the love story is the central plot, I want it to be quick and sweet withContinue reading “EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS – Jennifer Ann Shore”
A Girl Named Tommi 