Hello friends! And happy weekend! It’s my first full Saturday back at work, so that’s going to be interesting. We’ll see how busy it actually gets, I guess! Anyway, I finished 10 books for the Week of 9/11. 10 books! It honestly was a fantastic reading week, and my library pile is going down just a bit. Until more of my holds come in!
Bite Size Reviews: Week of 9/11
I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki (9/11)
Mandy is the daughter of Starfire, a well-known superhero. Unfortunately, Mandy doesn’t have powers like her mom. She’s been keeping one secret: she doesn’t want to go to college. The art in this was great! These DC graphic novels sometimes are hit or miss for me, but this one was solidly in the middle. I wanted a little more character development, but overall, it was a fun story! (3.5 stars).
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury (9/11)
The one thing Voya didn’t expect was to fail her Calling to become a witch. When she’s offered another chance, she just had to kill her first love? So, she uses a new matchmaking technology to fall in love–but will she be able to kill him? On the surface, I love the idea behind this book. However, I think the pacing was off for this whole book. Leaving some details for later books would have helped with the pacing (3 stars).
Luminous by Mara Rutherford (9/12)
Liora has spent her entire life hiding, since her glowing skin will give away her magic. If she was discovered by Darius, the king’s warlock, her life would change forever. This was another miss for me! There were a lot of elements in here that felt too similar to Shadow & Bone, plus there wasn’t a whole lot of character development. I needed more! Adding more character development would have made the book more enjoyable for me (3 stars).
Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (9/13)
Valora is about to board the Titanic when she’s turned away because she’s Chinese. So, she sneaks onto the boat in order to find her brother. Once she does, she hatches a plan to land them an audition with a famous circus owner that could change their lives forever. As with most historical fiction, you know how the book is probably going to end, and this is no different. This had engaging characters, and a lot of great historical facts. Plus, I learned some things I didn’t know previously! (4 stars).
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (9/15)
I already wrote a review for this, so just a few thoughts here! Usually, I’m in love with Rogerson’s work because she does world building like no one else. However, this one just fell flat for me. I just couldn’t connect to the characters or the world. Sorcery of Thorns is still my favorite of her books so far! (3 stars).
On the Hook by Francisco X. Stork (9/15)
Hector has always kept to himself and kept out of trouble. At least, until Joey singles him out, whose brother is head of the Discípulos gang. Joey tells Hector that he’s going to kill him someday. Hector lives in fear; when their brothers get into a fight that escalates, Hector has to decide what his future holds. I think this is an important story to tell, I just felt like it was too slow. Not much really happened in this book, and I just wanted more of an arc from the characters (3 stars).
Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert (9/16)
This nonfiction book is focused on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Colbert not only covers the events of that day, but gives readers context for when the massacre happens. She also connects it to present day events at the end of the book. I was impressed with the amount of research in this book, and the writing was really engaging. This is fantastic! (5 stars).
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake (9/16)
In the summer of 1958, a series of murders happens in the Midwest. All of the bodies are left without blood. When the Carlson family is killed in Minnesota, one thing is different: a girl is found there. Mary Catherine Hale. And Michael is the one chosen to tell her story. This book reads very much like a documentary, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Even if I’m still not sure what happened at the end (4 stars).
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue (9/17)
Maeve finds a deck of tarot cards when cleaning out a room at her school. The tarot cards give her scarily accurate readings, making her popular around school. However, when they make her ex-best friend Lily disappear, Maeve has to figure out what happened to her. This was a fast-paced fantasy read, and I really enjoyed it! The main three characters, Maeve, Roe, and Fiona really makes this book (4 stars).
Whistle by E. Lockhart (9/17)
Willow has a lot to say, advocating for social change in Gotham. When she reconnects with one of her mom’s old friends, everything seems great at first. However, she soon realizes that they’re connected to crime in Gotham. The art in this! I am in love with it. I liked that we got this new character in Willow, and I definitely keep enjoyed these DC young adult graphic novels (4 stars).