The Poet X

Today's post is on The Poet X by ERlizabeth Acevedo. It is 268 pages long and is published by HarperTeen. The cover is a colorful one with the main character in the corner with the title in her hair. The intended reader is someone who likes books in verse and teens learning to find their voices. There is some foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-  young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.
So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Review- A moving story about a young woman finding her voice and dealing with all that brings to her life. Xiomara is the quiet one who talks with her fists and has more doubts than her mother thinks she should. She is growing in her body and dealing with the attention that beings. She is a young woman who just wants to be heard by those around her. The poems are interesting, the style is engaging, and story is full of character and details. I was very moved by the relationship between Xiomara and her mother; it is very honest, it is difficult, and is at times hard to read because I think that most teen girls have a similar relationship with their mothers to some degree or another. I would highly recommend this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift.

Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror & Speculative Fiction

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror & Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson. It is 319 pages long including notes. The cover is dark with different images from the books within. The intended reader is someone who is interesting in horror fiction history, women writers, and forgotten fiction. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Meet the women writers who defied convention to craft some of literature’s strangest tales,  from  Frankenstein  to  The Haunting of Hill House  and beyond.
Frankenstein was just the beginning: horror stories and other weird fiction wouldn’t exist without the women who created it. From Gothic ghost stories to psychological horror to science fiction, women have been primary architects of speculative literature of all sorts. And their own life stories are as intriguing as their fiction. Everyone knows about Mary Shelley, creator of Frankenstein, who was rumored to keep her late husband’s heart in her desk drawer. But have you heard of Margaret “Mad Madge” Cavendish, who wrote a science-fiction epic 150 years earlier (and liked to wear topless gowns to the theater)? If you know the astounding work of Shirley Jackson, whose novel The Haunting of Hill House was reinvented as a Netflix series, then try the psychological hauntings of Violet Paget, who was openly involved in long-term romantic relationships with women in the Victorian era. You’ll meet celebrated icons (Ann Radcliffe, V. C. Andrews), forgotten wordsmiths (Eli Colter, Ruby Jean Jensen), and today’s vanguard (Helen Oyeyemi). Curated reading lists point you to their most spine-chilling tales.
Part biography, part reader’s guide, the engaging write-ups and detailed reading lists will introduce you to more than a hundred authors and over two hundred of their mysterious and spooky novels, novellas, and stories.

Review- So this has become my Thanksgiving tradition to read a book about other books. I did it two years ago with Paperbacks from Hell, last year with Paperback Crush and now with Monster, She Wrote. Just like the previous two I loved this book. It is interesting, it introduced me to new writers that I will have to track down, and it is well written. We start from the very early days of the 1600’s with Margaret Cavendish and the creation of Gothic fiction and come to modern day with the current mistresses of Horror and Weird fiction. The writing is sly, tongue-in-cheek style but with lots of love towards to authors and their works. Showing the growth of horror from murderous uncles to eldritch from the great beyond. If you want to know more about women horror writers or more about the forgotten roots of horror then you should give this book a look.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Volume 1

Today's post is on My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Volume 1 by Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka. It is 230 pages long and is published by Seven Seas. The cover the main female character Katarina and the two princes on it. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, comedy and isekai manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Katarina. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A high school girl is stunned to find herself reincarnated as the conniving villainess from her favorite dating sim game, Fortune Lover. Now, as Katarina Claes, the impossibly rich and spoiled daughter of a Duke, her new life seems to perfectly sync up with the world of the game. This means big trouble! No matter how the game turned out, there were only two fates for Katarina: exile or death!

Review- A hilarious first volume into a very promising series. Katarina Claes has woken up after getting hit on the head, is bleeding, and freaking everyone else out. When she wakes up again, she remembers her past life as a normal Japanese girl who loved to play Otome games. The world she is now living in, Katarina is the villain and she is going to die! Unless she can change her fate and she does. The story is evenly paced with world building, characters, and other details getting enough time for the reader to learn them. Katarina is a trip; now that she has her past life's memories back she acts nothing that the proper Duke's daughter she should be, instead she acts how she did in her old life and that changes everything around her. I like all the characters but Katarina is my favorite. I can't wait to get to school with her and see what she is going to get into.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I get nothing but joy out of my review.

Love, Lies and Spies

Today's post is on Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey. It is 368 pages long and is published by Swoon Reads. The cover is white with silhouettes of different things like keys, locks, and people on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in historical romance. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. the story id told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.
Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Review- A cute read with a cute romance with a happy ending. Juliana is a cute heroine with a sense of humor and desire to be taken seriously as a scientist. Spencer is trying to do right by king and country in a time of war. With lots of interesting details in the background this is a great book if you are looking to get into historical romances with some comedy to keep the plot from getting too serious. Anstey clearly loves Georgette Heyer and wants to fill that space in publishing and she does a good job with this novel. The characters are fun, the story is interesting, and it plot is just right not too heavy but the romance is very sweet and just a little exciting without getting too spicy for the age group. I recommend this book if you like historical romances with humor.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Skip Beat!, volume 9

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, volume 9 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As it is the ninth volume in the series to understand what is going on in the story. The cover has Ren with roses around him. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, humor stories, and great heroines. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence is this manga. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko's big chance is finally here! Her performance in Sho's promo clip impressed some important people, and now she's been asked to act in the year's most anticipated drama! But Ren is the leading man and the character Kyoko is supposed to play is damaged and scary! Can Kyoko overcome her fear of Ren and her shame about her demons, or will this chance of a lifetime slip through her fingers?

Review- We get a great story about Moko and her family in this volume. She has a very big family, they embarrass her and take her money for food and rent. The young boy who in the last volume said he was going to kill Moko's career just has a crush and they work it out. Then we jump back to Ren and Kyoko's relationship where she continues to overreact over every little thing. It likes like Kyoko is going to have a big break happen and she gets to act with Ren. I really enjoyed seeing Kyoko and Moko's relationship get deeper, as Moko shared her family and worries with Kyoko was touching and enlightening to her character growth. I am curious about the drama that Kyoko and Ren are going to star in.

I give this volume a Five out Five stars. I get nothing for my review and bought this manga with my own money.

The Sacrifice Box

Today’s post is on The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart. It is 358 pages long and is published by Viking. The cover is white with a box in the center lid up and something looking out from it. The intended reader is someone who likes horror stories. There is mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this novel The story is told from third person close of the different characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In the summer of 1982. Five friends discover an ancient stone box hidden deep in the woods. They seal inside of it treasured objects from their childhoods, and the make a vow
Never come to the box alone.
Never open it after dark.
Never take back your sacrifice.
Four years later, a series of strange and terrifying events begins to unfold: mirrors inexplicably shattering, inanimate beings coming to life, otherworldly crows thirsting for blood. Someone broke the rules of the box, and now everyone has to pay.
But how much are they willing to sacrifice?

Review- In the vein of Stranger Things and the other 1980’s nostalgia The Sacrifice Box does similar things. We have a group of friends who make a promise to each other and put things into a mysterious box, we have creepy things happening, we have family drama, and all the hallmarks. But it is just okay, not bad but nothing really jumped out to me other than one needless death that was just to pull on heart strings but because I knew that what it is was for so it just annoyed me. The writing is fine, the characters do not break any molds but either do they really do anything interesting, I guessed who broke the rules but the reason did surprise me. If you really enjoy the return of the 1980’s then you should check this out but if you looking for something new in horror then I would recommend a pass in this one.

I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Wanted

Today's post is on Wanted by Matsuri Hino. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. It is a stand alone manga. The cover has to the two main character on it. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, pirates, and love stories. There is no foul language, talk of sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from first person close of the main character Aemeria. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- In the Mediterranean at end of the 17th century, former songstress Armeria disguises herself as a boy and boards the ship of the pirate Skulls--the man who kidnapped Luce, her first love. Captain Skulls is arrogant, violent, and a skirt chaser! And unfortunately for Armeria, he discovers she's a woman...

Review- A cute story about love and pirates. Armeria watched her first love get kidnapped by pirates and has spend eight years tracking them down to find out what happened to him. She joins the crew but of course is discovered but the pirates are not really bad guys they are fighting the corrupt nobles who are hurting their subjects. Skulls is very tsundere, which means he pretend to not love Armeria and Armeria does not know what to think about him. It is just a cute little story with one-shot at the end about two young lovers deciding make a future together in spite of their families. I had a good time with this manga, if you are a fan of Hino from Vampire Knight, then do yourself a favor and read this manga.

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

In An Absent Dream

Today's post is on In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. It is 203 pages long and is published by TOR. The cover is a tree with a door in the middle. The intended reader is someone who has read the first three novels in this series. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- This fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.
When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

Review- We hop back to the past in this volume with Lundy's story about how she came to the at the Home for Wayward Children. It is a sad story but because I knew what was coming, it did not hit me as hard. I knew what Lundy was going to do, that she was going to try and cheat the system in the Goblin Market and lose everything that she truly loved in the process. The writing was excellent, as per usual, the characters were interesting, and the plot was tight. If you loved the first three novels then you will enjoy seeing into the past with Lundy and learning her tragic past.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for this review and I was given this book as a gift.

Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away with Murder and Behaving Very Badly

Today’s post is on Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away with Murder and Behaving Very Badly by Jake Brennan. It is 272 pages long and is published by Grand Central Publishing. The cover is grey with faux mugshots of the musicians inside on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and music history. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- You may know Jerry Lee Lewis married his thirteen-year-old cousin but did you know he shot his bass player in the chest with a shotgun or that a couple of his wives died under extremely mysterious circumstances? Or that Sam Cooke was shot dead in a seedy motel after barging into the manager's office naked to attack her? Maybe not. Would it change your view of him if you knew that, or would your love for his music triumph?
Real rock stars do truly insane thing and invite truly insane things to happen to them; murder, drug trafficking, rape, cannibalism and the occult. We allow this behavior. We are complicit because a rock star behaving badly is what's expected. It's baked into the cake. Deep down, way down, past all of our self-righteous notions of justice and right and wrong, when it comes down to it, we want our rock stars to be bad. We know the music industry is full of demons, ones that drove Elvis Presley, Phil Spector, Sid Vicious and that consumed the Norwegian Black Metal scene. We want to believe in the myths because they're so damn entertaining.
DISGRACELAND is a collection of the best of these stories about some of the music world's most beloved stars and their crimes. It will mix all-new, untold stories with expanded stories from the first two seasons of the Disgraceland podcast. Using figures we already recognize, DISGRACELAND shines a light into the dark corners of their fame revealing the fine line that separates heroes and villains as well as the danger Americans seek out in their news cycles, tabloids, reality shows and soap operas. At the center of this collection of stories is the ever-fascinating music industry--a glittery stage populated by gangsters, drug dealers, pimps, groupies with violence, scandal and pure unadulterated rock 'n' roll entertainment.

Review- A fascinating, engagingly written narrative about some very famous musicians and the crimes they committed. Brennan was a deep love of his subjects, their music, and that shows in his work. We travel from Elvis to Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes to the three young men who made Norwegian Black Metal with lots of different stops between. While the chapters are self-contained, they do add up to something greater than the size of the parts. We get to see how much music is built upon itself, where artists listen to each other, learn from each other, and where will the music is in the end. If you are at all interested in music history or true crime then do yourself a favor and read this book. I highly recommend it.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Yona of the Dawn volume 6

Today's post is on Yona of the Dawn volume 6 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Yona and Sinha on it under a large leaf. The intended reader is someone who has read the first five volumes of the series. There is no foul language, no sex, and some violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Yona finally meets Jaeha, the Green Dragon. Unfortunately, Jaeha has no desire to follow her on her quest! Yona offers to help Jaeha and his fellow pirates, so Captain Gi-Gan challenges her with a perilous quest to test her courage. Will Yona be able to pick the Senju Herb from the steep cliff face of the Vanishing Cape?

Review- We meet the green dragon Jaeha and see more of the kingdom that was suffering under King Ill's rule. Yona is handling her father being both a good father but a bad king better. Most of the volume is about getting to know Jaeha and learning about the pirates who are fighting to free their town from slavers. The boys can prove themselves easily but Yona has to do more than look pretty and command dragons. She has to get a special herb to prove her courage. With Jaeha we see more of what being dragon-blooded does to them and how much control Yona really has over them. Jaeha wants to be free and serve no one so at the beginning he fears and resents Yona but as he gets to know her that changes because Yona does not want to control them; she just needs their help. We end with Yona and Yun on the slavers ship to save the stolen women. Next volume is going to have exciting with the fight to save them. I cannot wait to see what happens.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Pleasure Slave

Today's post is on The Pleasure Slave by Gena Showalter. It is 384 pages long and is published by HQN. The cover is pink with a pretty woman blowing at a box with purple smoke coming out. The intended reader is someone who likes romance novels with lots of humor in them. There is some  mild foul language, sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the Hoopla Blurb- When Santa Fe antique dealer Julie Anderson was curiously drawn to purchase a battered jewelry box, she never expected it to contain her own personal love slave. Especially not tall, dark and sinfully handsome Tristan- a man hard to resist, and determined to fulfill her every desire.
Though Tristan was a rogue of the battlefield and the boudoir, making love with Julia was like nothing he'd ever known. Yet revealing his true heart would break the centuries-old spell and separate them forever. And Tristan would do anything to go on loving Julia. . .even remain a slave through all eternity. . .

Review- If you are looking for a cute, light romance read then you should like this novel. It is a cute, fast read with a sweet romance between cute characters. I had a good time with this novel, it was just what I expected. Julie is a sweet woman who is looking for someone to spend her life with; Tristan is burned out on serving women and when Julia just treats him like a human, he begins to heal from his past. That is the story but that is all it needs to be. I liked it being a simple love story with some pretty fantastical elements but in the end a love story between two characters I liked.

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed novel from my local library's Hoopla account.