Far From the Tree

My thoughts:

I have seen this book touted as "for people who love This Is Us." I am not sure if it holds the same chapter by chapter intensity as the television show holds, but this definitely will have appeal to YA readers. I would have devoured this book except that I had to keep returning it to the library and waiting on the "holds" list until it came around to me again. 

This is the story of searching and finding a family you did not know you had. It is about heartache and hope as it interweaves the stories of three teens. Read worthy.

From the pages:

And I finally learned to ride, but I wouldn't let them take the wheels off because I liked that feeling, you know? They caught me every time. That's what it felt like with Grace and Maya. Like I was falling, but then I didn't. They were there. - Joaquin

Dark Nights: Metal: The Resistance

Publication date: Jul 3 2018

This is another in the Metal family of dark rock and roll. I like this one the best because it is a large family reunion of sorts for the DC genealogy.  This one is like Harry Potter looking for the hoarcruxs across space and time. The Justice League sets out to find artifacts to protect the earth. In the meantime, the other characters like the Suicide Squad are stuck in a losing battle to save a very warped Gotham. Lots of destruction. Lots of evil in the multiverse. Lots of action.

Description:

The Nightmare Batmen have descended to Earth from the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL. Against an army of Dark Knights, can members of the Justice League, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad come together to form a resistance to stop them?

The Justice League has scattered around the world to find the only artifacts that can fight back against the invasion of the Dark Multiverse. The League thinks they know how to take back their world, but they are not prepared for who is standing in their way: the Seven Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse. All the brilliance of Batman, but combinedwith the powers of the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg and more... and none of the morals. 

The shocking events of METAL have transformed Gotham City into a mosaic of fantastical realms full of monsters, magic and doom An SOS from Dick Grayson sends Robin back to Gotham to find a number of hometown heroes (and anti-heroes) including Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Black Canary and Green Arrow all trapped in a labyrinth of madness and death! Meanwhile, the Justice League are trapped in pocket worlds with their evil Batmen counterparts! Will the heroes be able to escape in time to fight against the villainous mastermind Barbatos? 

Filling in the gaps between issues of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, this tie-in graphic novel is a crucial companion story to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's masterpiece! Written and illustrated by some of the top talents in the industry, including Jeff Lemire, Joshua Williamson, Bryan Hitch, Liam Sharp, Howard Porter, Robert Venditti and more, this book collects THE FLASH #33, HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #32, JUSTICE LEAGUE #32-33, HAWKMAN: FOUND #1, TEEN TITANS #12, NIGHTWING #29, SUICIDE SQUAD #26, GREEN ARROW #32, BATMAN: LOST #1 and HAWKMAN FOUND #1.

An advanced copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Dark Nights: Metal: Dark Knights Rising

Publication date: June 26, 2018

My Thoughts:

This is a side story, a 1.5.1 in the Dark Nights: Metal saga of death and destruction across the multiverse. The beginning of this series says it best: 

Imagine if your every fear, each decision gave birth to a malformed world of nightmare. . .Welcome to the dark multiverse. Home to stories that should never be. . .

This opening explains the gist of these stories and I dare you to not have Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" playing in the background as you tear through these stories of destruction and mayhem. Batman has always been dark, now we know how dark. This is indeed heavy metal rock n roll in comic form. 

Description:

Seven nightmarish versions of Batman from seven dying alternate realities have been recruited by the dark god Barbatos to terrorize the World’s Greatest Heroes in our universe. They threaten life across the Multiverse, and the Justice League may be powerless to stop them! 

 We introduce you to:
The Batman Who Laughs: a lunatic driven mad by his world’s Joker. 
The Red Death: a thief who stole his reality’s Speed Force power.
The Drowned: a female, amphibious Batman. 
The Dawnbreaker: a twisted Green Lantern.
The Murder Machine: a deranged, deadly cyborg.
The Merciless: a warrior who wears the helmet of Ares.
The Devastator: a part-human, part-Doomsday monster. Featuring stories from Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Peter J. Tomasi, Grant Morrison, Joshua Williamson, Ethan Van Sciver, Philip Tan, Tyler Kirkham, Francis Manapul, Riley Rossmo, Tony S. Daniel, Howard Porter, Doug Mahnke and many more! Collects the seven Dark Nights: Batman tie-in one-shots and Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1. 

An advanced digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Dark Nights Metal: Deluxe Edition

My thoughts:

This collection follows Dark Days: The Road to Metal and is both a conclusion and a segue for more to come. This is for readers that can see this as a new DC movie because although it doesn't have an end, the appeal of heroes who tap into the sense of goodness and hope amidst darkness comes through. When the more suicidal heroes want to give up, the more stable heroes bring them back. That is what makes the "comicverse" and these heroes immortal over generations of readers. 

I apologize to the writers and the publisher for mixing worlds and heading to Marvel for inspiration but the quote is so appropriate to this book and gets to the heart of the message:

It is easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will  hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. -- Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spiderman 2

Description:

The New York Times bestselling BATMAN writer and artist team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo re-unite in the epic event graphic novel DARK NIGHTS: METAL!

 The Dark Knight has uncovered one of the lost mysteries of the universe...one that could destroy the very fabric of the DC Universe! The dark corners of reality that have never been seen till now! The Dark Multiverse is revealed in all its devastating danger--a team of twisted, evil versions of Batman hellbent on destroying the DC Universe! 

 With appearances from heroes, villains and faces long forgotten, DARK NIGHTS: METAL will examine every choice a hero doesn't take and every path they don't walk, and open up worlds that are forged by nightmares. 

  Together on a single title for an outstanding fifty issues, Snyder and Capullo's award-winning stories BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS, BATMAN VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY and BATMAN VOL. 7: ENDGAME turned generations of Batman fans into a global horde of Batman superfans. With DARK NIGHTS: METAL, Scott and Greg will build on this strong foundation and broaden the scope of their storytelling to encompass the full expanse of the DC Universe.

An advanced digital copy provided by Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

Not the Girls You're Looking For

Publication date: June 19, 2018

From the publisher:

Lulu Saad doesn't need your advice, thank you very much. She's got her three best friends and nothing can stop her from conquering the known world. Sure, for half a minute she thought she’d nearly drowned a cute guy at a party, but he was totally faking it. And fine, yes, she caused a scene during Ramadan. It's all under control. Ish.

Except maybe this time she’s done a little more damage than she realizes. And if Lulu can't find her way out of this mess soon, she'll have to do more than repair friendships, family alliances, and wet clothing. She'll have to go looking for herself.

Debut author Aminah Mae Safi's honest and smart novel is about how easy it can be to hurt those around you even if —especially if—you love them.

My thoughts:
I got to about 12% of this book and thought I just could not stomach any more of Lulu Saad. I realize now that maybe this cover threw me off because she acts much younger than she should as a junior in high school and the cover makes it seem like she is a junior in college. The character was just too immature and I could not stand her "voice."

However, I am glad I stuck it out. Like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, this is a  no apologies chick book that will appeal to girls from middle school on. The fact that the main character is half Arabic/Muslim, half white and all American with a trio of friends that are not culturally similar to each other is a perk. It definitely makes the dynamic more interesting, especially in the fact that this story does not highlight or glamorize their differences. The problems are universal problems about growing up and growing apart, as well as what it takes to hold friendships together. Finally, although place does not play as strong a part in this book as it could, the fact that it takes place in Texas lends a little context to what is going on in the story.

This DAC was supplied by the publisher and Net Galley for an honest review.