book reviews

Everyone should read the new Miles Morales novel

Leave a comment

I’ve been telling literally everyone who will listen to me about Jason Reynolds’ new Miles Morales novel, available now from Marvel Press:

At 16, Miles is concerned he’s destined to follow the same path as his father and his uncle, who both went in and out of jail as teens for petty crimes and more. His Spidey senses keep going haywire at the worst time: in the middle of history class, taught by a “subtly” racist teacher named Mr. Chamberlain who seems to have it out for Miles. And every mistake he makes at Brooklyn Visions Academy puts his scholarship — and his future — in peril.

Miles’ struggle in this story isn’t an exclusively superhuman one, and the fight against the Big Bad isn’t even one he truly needs superpowers to fight. (Although his superpowers definitely help. A lot.) His journey is an incredibly personal one: trying to figure out whether he deserves to be Spider-Man or if he’ll never be anything more than a criminal, which is how many of the school’s administrators treat him.

You can read my full review now at Girls in Capes.

Magical Girl Raising Project Asari Endou Yen Press US English light novel edition

Magical Girl Raising Project, Vol. 1 is basically the anime rearranged

Leave a comment

My newest Girls in Capes review is live now:

Magical Girl Raising Project is an interesting light novel, but there’s really not a lot of innovation and few aspects of the story that set the series apart from comparable series within the magical girl or death match genres. This light novel is great for those who really enjoyed the anime, and the first volume covers the full events of the anime series; readers looking for a different or new story in the MGRP universe should look forward to the release of Volume 2 in November.

Find out why over at Girls in Capes!

Link

My review of The Stars Are Legion is live now at Girls in Capes

Leave a comment

I’m excited to share my newest review, which is live now at Girls in Capes:

Legion is a wonderful book, and I did enjoy it for the way it made me think about the world, but it’s not a book to read if you’re looking specifically for better and more diverse types of romances. If you’re not super interested in happy romances, this would be a perfectly fine book for you, but if any book epitomizes our Toxic Romance theme for this month, this one is it.

As a warning, The Stars Are Legion contains many references and depictions of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, and there’s also cannibalism and some other kinda squicky bits. Anyway, I discuss it further in my review — you can check that out now.

Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith Switch Press US cover

Micro-Review: CHILDREN OF ICARUS by Caighlan Smith

Leave a comment

I probably shouldn’t have expected much from a book that drew cover comparisons to The Hunger Games (which I hated) and The Maze Runner (which looks boring to me).

The narrator of the book somehow managed to weave a web of lies and deceit, despite making no active decisions until the second half of the book. Much of the plot required more suspension of belief than should be expected, and despite the title, there are few aspects of the original tale of Icarus beyond shallow, almost cosmetic references.

If you absolutely want to read more of the exhausted YA dystopian genre, this is probably a good book to check out, but otherwise, Children of Icarus offers nothing new or interesting for the subgenre.

Micro-Review: Hollie Overton’s BABY DOLL isn’t for the faint of heart

Leave a comment

Hollie Overton Baby Doll Redhook US coverFrom the publisher:

Held captive for eight years, Lily has grown from a teenager to an adult in a small basement prison. Her daughter Sky has been a captive her whole life. But one day their captor leaves the deadbolt unlocked.

This is what happens next…

…to her twin sister, to her mother, to her daughter…and to her captor.

While I truly enjoyed this book – it’s fast-paced, filled with action, and very engaging – the subject matter is definitely sensitive: a young woman who’s been held hostage and assaulted both physically and sexually escapes her abuser with her daughter and begins the legal process to get him put away.

There were times while reading this book that I felt physically nauseous, especially during descriptions of the abuse. Some sections are told from the perspective of Lily’s captor, and the sections feel so real and bone-shakingly horrific.

Because of that, while I thought this book was really wonderful as a thriller, I’m not sure if I would recommend to all readers because its subject matter is incredibly difficult to stomach. Readers who can, though, will find this an engaging, heart-poundingly suspenseful read.

4 out of 5 stars