Master of Iron (Bladesmith #2)

 

Publication date: July 26, 2022

My Thoughts:

This book follows Blade of Secrets which came out in May 2021 and is probably a really good action/adventure/romance/girl power fantasy. I do not say this because I read the first book. I probably missed it when it came out on NetGalley. I have so many books in my queue that the publishers probably hate that I ask for their books, but lucky for me, they give it any way. 

No, the reason why I know that Blade was a good book is that I trust this author, Tricia Levenseller. I have her review of Warrior of the Wild here and it was a fabulous one and done read. She is another of the female fantasy writers that write from a female "bad ass" perspective for YA readers. I gobble this stuff up. Also, in Master, the author gives enough hints about the first book to know that it was a good read. Unfortunately, since I know that the characters made it out of the first book (because they are in the second book), I do not want to read it. However, if you have not read Blade of Secrets, please do before July 26, 2022 when this book comes out. Readers who do not want to commit to the three or more fantasy series like Sarah J. Maas' fabulous Throne of Glass series will enjoy these new one and dones or duology fantasy books. I appreciate that these authors are also pushing the envelope in diversity such that white, heteronormative is not the automatic go to in YA fantasy. There is a shift coming, yes? 

In this duology, although the 4 main characters are cisgender whites, there are LGBTQIA side characters and the society of this book does not balk. The main character also suffers from social anxiety, but a lot of this book is about Ziva, the main character, gathering the mental health tools she needs amidst war, trauma, romance and magic-ing. Her love interest, the mercenary Kellyn, also is able to help her prioritize love, family and hope, which is a nice shift. 

I was going to put more ladders (next books to give voracious readers) here, but I read a lot of fantasy, so just look here for recommendations. This book followed a book that I had to abandon because I just could not accept the premise, so I was looking for a devour worthy fantasy to recenter myself. Despite not reading the first book, these characters grabbed me and I could read this book without reading the first one. Consider me re-centered and ready to go. 

From the Publisher:

In Master of Iron, the conclusion to Tricia Levenseller’s exciting Bladesmith YA fantasy duology, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety must race against the clock to save her beloved sister and stop a devastating war.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister’s life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn’s capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she’s been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva’s safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she’s not sure just how much of herself she’ll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she’s been trying to stop.

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

 

Publication date: Jun 21, 2022 by Sylvia Liu, Penguin Young Readers Group

My Thoughts:

This is an exciting beat the clock and the bad guys middle grades science fiction #AAPI adventure. Hana canʻt wait to turn 13 so she can get enmeshed with the webverse and finally get closer to her older sister Lina and her mom who never seems to have any time for Hana after her father died. 

Hana is a curious 12 year old who loves to make automatons by looking for spare parts at the dump. It is something that she learned from her grandmother and her father. But now that her father is gone and her Popo (grandmother) seems to be losing her memory, Hana feels lonely and misunderstood.

She meets new friends in the Start-Up school, but a tattooed hacker, Ink, who she meets at the dump opens up a new vision of technology, secret experiments and corporate power grabs.  Are all the adults hiding secrets or is Hana paranoid now? Who can she trust?

This book will keep readers hooked. If they like this book, offer the graphic novel In Real Life: IRL by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, or even the indigenous YA sci fi Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew. And of course, if they have not read or watched it, the original reality versus web fantasy is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and Marie Luʻs duology Warcross and Wildcard. 

From the Publisher:

Perfect for fans of Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee, this thrilling, cinematic sci-fi novel follows Hana Hsu’s mission to save herself—and her friends—from a dangerous plot to control their minds.

Hana Hsu can’t wait to be meshed.
 
If she can beat out half her classmates at Start-Up, a tech school for the city’s most talented twelve-year-olds, she’ll be meshed to the multiweb through a neural implant like her mom and sister. But the competition is fierce, and when her passion for tinkering with bots gets her mixed up with dangerous junkyard rebels, she knows her future in the program is at risk.
 
Even scarier, she starts to notice that something’s not right at Start-Up—some of her friends are getting sick, and no matter what she does, her tech never seems to work right. With an ominous warning from her grandmother about being meshed, Hana begins to wonder if getting the implant early is really a good idea.
 
Desperate to figure out what’s going on, Hana and her friends find themselves spying on one of the most powerful corporations in the country—and the answers about the mystery at Start-Up could be closer to home than Hana’s willing to accept. Will she be able to save her friends—and herself— from a conspiracy that threatens everything she knows?

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

 

Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2022

My Thoughts:

This story by first-generation Korean American author Axie Oh is a modern take on a classic Korean folktale, "The Tale of Shim Cheong." Although it is touted as a YA grades 7-9, I think this girl power tale can be read by middle grades too, so I would say 5-9 for mild romance and violence.

It is not necessary to know the original folktale, but I am sure this new rendition, with the spunky, headstrong 16-year old Mina actually doing all the heroine-ing is a feminist spin on the original Tale of Shim Cheong. 

The action is fast paced and since Mina is just a girl who loves her family and her community, but has no outward strengths like beauty or fighting skill, she must rely on her wit, her loyalty and her ability to choose the right stories her grandmother taught her. Her grandmother's stories also help her to deal with the very fickle deities and mythological beasts. Lucky for Mina, down deep, most of them share her community values of loyalty to family and community.

Besides being a feminist book, though, I think it is an ecological warning that dissonance in the human world creates dissonance in the oceans and vice versa. Problem solving, then, happens with that understanding that sometimes the solution is not actually to react to what is happening right in front of our eyes, but to trace an issue to the source. 

From the Publisher:

Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village―and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon―may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin―as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits―Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

Pahua and the Soul Stealer

 

My Thoughts:

This middle-grade friendly adventure/fantasy/mythology book is another great addition to the Rick Riordan presents series of books coming out from YA authors of color who are writing about their own culture and community. For Ms. Lee, she introduces us to Hmong mythology in this very exciting race to battle demons and save her younger brother. 

As the United States left Afghanistan this fall and images of hundreds of Americans and Afghans with American ties trying to get to the airport in Kabul inundated our television and computer news screens,  I thought of the images from the Vietnam war and the fast retreat of Americans in our history books. The Hmongs, similar to the Afghan translators,  fought and died next to American troops in the Vietnamese war. However, there was no exit strategy for them when the Americans left. A large number of Hmongs fled Laos to refugee camps in Thailand. Some of them made their way to the United States  and they have established large communities in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin. The summer Olympics in Tokyo featured gold medal gymnast Suni Lee, an American Hmong athlete out of St. Paul, Minnesota. In other words,  they have been in America for generations, yet I have not read much literature from their community, especially in YA. This story, then is both timely and fresh. Middle grade readers will get pulled in by the excitement and supernatural elements. They will root for Pahua as she has to face fears, face her weakness, and in the process find her strength.

If middle grade readers like this, they may like Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna, The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim, or Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia next. 

From the Publisher:

Pahua Moua has a bit of a reputation for being a weirdo. A lonely eleven-year-old Hmong girl with the unique ability to see spirits, she spends her summer days babysitting her little brother and playing with her best friend, a cat spirit no one else can see.

One day Pahua accidentally untethers an angry spirit from the haunted bridge in her neighborhood--whoops. When her brother suddenly falls sick and can't be awoken, Pahua fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. She returns to the scene of the crime with her aunt's old shaman tools, hoping to confront the spirit and demand her brother's return. Instead, she summons a demon.

Thankfully, a warrior shaman with a bit of an attitude problem shows up at the last minute and saves her butt. With the help of this guide, Pahua will have to find her way through the spirit worlds and rescue her brother's soul before it's too late. Little does she know she'll have her own discoveries to make along the way. . . .

With its unforgettable characters, unique nature-based magic system, breathtaking twists and reveals, and climactic boss battle, this story based on Hmong oral tradition offers everything a fantasy lover could want.

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom

 

Release date: July 6, 2021

My Thoughts:

This book is kind of a cross between Inkheart and Harold and the Purple Crayon with Indian mythology and a mental health/self care theme. 

This is a great tween adventure for readers who love girl power stories. What makes this more cheer worthy is that the "heroine, Kiki feels that her anxiety and OCD has taken over so much control of her world that she truly believes that her brain is broken and nothing can help her. Her self shame keeps her from reaching out for help, so the only way she feels she can quiet her mind is by drawing another world filled with the kids who know how to be brave and heroic for her. 

But when an ancient Indian demon that she drew starts creating havoc in her created world and in her own world, Kiki can no longer hide behind the heroes she created. In order to keep both worlds safe, she needs to conquer her brain and find her own source of strength. This sliding glass door story will also be a mirror for young readers who need to see beyond their own anxiety to the potential and strengths that they always possessed.

From the Publisher:

A rich fantasy-adventure that sees a girl's drawings of Indian mythology spring to vivid life--including the evil god who seeks to enter the real world and destroy it.

Kiki Kallira has always been a worrier. Did she lock the front door? Is there a terrible reason her mom is late? Recently her anxiety has been getting out of control, but one thing that has always soothed her is drawing. Kiki's sketchbook is full of fanciful doodles of the rich Indian myths and legends her mother has told her over the years.

One day, her sketchbook's calming effect is broken when her mythological characters begin springing to life right out of its pages. Kiki ends up falling into the mystical world she drew, which includes a lot of wonderful discoveries like the band of rebel kids who protect the kingdom, as well as not-so-great ones like the ancient deity bent on total destruction. As the one responsible for creating the evil god, Kiki must overcome her fear and anxiety to save both worlds--the real and the imagined--from his wrath. But how can a girl armed with only a pencil defeat something so powerful?

The International Day of the Girl

 

This book is for children, but can also be used in the 6th grade social studies classroom for inquiry research studies while teaching world civilizations. Through the stories of children around the world, as well as information blocks about each issue in these vignettes, children are able to get a little information on some of the issues facing girls around the world like illiteracy, nutrition, gender-based violence, access to education, disability, child marriage and gender representation. This is a good source for middle level students to choose a topic to further explore.

Granted, these are scary topics for young children, but the author shows these girls triumphing for advocacy despite being in these scary situations. There are also more resources for parents or teachers who want further information. Like the other says, "The statistics behind the stories in this book are difficult to read, but they are important to know if we are to work together to change them."

Finally, this is a book to own in your classroom as the sale of this book is tied to Plan International Canada.

From the Publisher

This introduction to the International Day of the Girl and its worldwide significance encourages children to recognize their own potential to make change, providing both a perfect lesson in social justice and a celebration of girl power. The United Nations designated October 11th as the International Day of the Girl, a day to increase awareness of problems that affect girls --- and only girls --- around the world and to encourage progress toward gender equality. Nine stories inspired by the real-life experiences of girls from all over the globe bring to light the importance of this day. Each story is set in a different country and sensitively describes an inequity faced by a character and how she addressed it. The challenges include gender-based violence, illiteracy, lack of access to technology, sanitation, nutritional disparity and child marriage. Each story features a positive description of the main character --- strong, smart, creative, inventive, brave, talented, caring, funny, ambitious --- and each concludes with a realistic yet hopeful outcome, presenting the girls as more than victims of their circumstances. Their powerful, and empowering, experiences will stir the activist in every child. Jessica Dee Humphreys's well-researched and illuminating stories are both readable and age appropriate. Award-winning Simone Shin's simple, warm illustrations bring the characters and their circumstances to life. Sidebars expand on the issues covered in each story. This book is a perfect choice for social justice discussions, as well as for social studies lessons on global communities, and for character education conversations on citizenship. It includes a foreword by the Honorable Rona Ambrose, who led Canada's call for the day to be formally adopted by the United Nations. Also included are an annotated time line of the day's creation and additional statistical information. A portion of the proceeds will go to Plan International Canada.

Reckless, Glorious Girl

My Thoughts:

This coming of age novel in verse introduces you to three generations of Kentucky "hillbilly" women through the strong voice of Beatrice Miller. These poems hold a voice and lyricism that makes me think of butter and salt and love, fried green tomatoes and the buzz of insects at dusk. 

Beatrice lives with Mamaw (her granny) and her mom, and even as Beatrice is eager to race forward to her future grown self, she does hold on to the lessons she learns from Mamaw and mom around food, cooking, gardening and the power of centering family in the kitchen.

It is hard to explain how special Beatrice is without sharing one of the poems. As a teacher, I cannot say enough for finding and sharing a recording or a video of author Ellen Hagen reading one of her pieces. It will sear the rhythm and voice of the poems into reader's ears. This poem, "Beatrice" is her name poem. She is named for Mawmaw and shares her complex love-hate relationship with her name (as most almost 7th graders are want to do):

The fact that it really is my mamaw's name/doesn't make it any better./Fact is - it makes it worse./Because I love my mamaw/more than the ocean/or french toast/or sleeping in/or bacon.

& when I don't spend all my time hating it/my name becomes a beacon./Some light to hang on to/when it's too dark/to see myself. 

 From the Publishers:

The co-author of Watch Us Rise pens a novel in verse about all the good and bad that comes with middle school, growing up girl, and the strength of family that gets you through it.

Beatrice Miller may have a granny's name (her granny's, to be more specific), but she adores her Mamaw and her mom, who give her every bit of wisdom and love they have. But the summer before seventh grade, Bea wants more than she has, aches for what she can't have, and wonders what the future will bring.

This novel in verse follows Beatrice through the ups and downs of friendships, puberty, and identity as she asks: Who am I? Who will I become? And will my outside ever match the way I feel on the inside?

A gorgeous, inter-generational story of Southern women and a girl's path blossoming into her sense of self, Reckless, Glorious, Girl explores the important questions we all ask as we race toward growing up.

 

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

 

Release date: March 01, 2021

From the Publisher:

An action-packed, instant best-seller in the UK! Hitch a ride on this global adventure from Own Voices debut author Nizrana Farook.

Chaya, a nobleman’s rebellious, outspoken, no-nonsense daughter, just can’t resist the shiny temptations the king’s palace has to offer. But playing Robin Hood for her impoverished community doesn’t come without risks, and when Chaya steals the queen’s jewels from a bedside table—a messy getaway jeopardizes the life of a close friend. After an equally haphazard prison break, Chaya barely escapes on the king’s prized elephant! With leeches and revolution lurking in the jungle, Chaya leads her companions on a thrilling adventure. After leaving her village as a thief, can she return as a hero? Or will Chaya’s sticky fingers be the beginning—or the end—of everything for the intrepid gang? 

Own Voices debut author Nizrana Farook spins an exciting, page-turning tale in a lush, vibrant, fictional Sri Lankan setting and featuring themes of friendship and loyalty, risk and reward, and heroism. A great middle-grade escapist novel and readaloud! 

My Thoughts:

This book was so fun! It is indeed fast-paced and read aloud-able. Reading aloud everyday in small chunks will drive middle level readers batty, which is the best kind of read aloud. This debut author uses the jungles of Sri Lanka as a backdrop for her fictional adventure tale of a stubborn, headstrong, and very brave girl (Chaya), her long suffering best friend Neel and a just as headstrong daughter of a merchant, Nour. Every time Chaya thinks she has done the impossible in order to help her friends, a larger challenge pops up. 

Like I said, this book is fun and I think what makes it fun is that there is no lull or breathing room in the adventures/misadventures of these three. Actually, counting Ananda, the stolen elephant who himself is a rounded out character, it really is about the adventures and misadventures of the four of them. 

This is perfect for 6th grade read aloud. I find Chaya a breath of fresh air as a heroine and unlike some Roald Dahl character, she is both loved and respected by her family, despite sometimes being very stubborn and single-minded. Like Pippi Longstocking or Anne from Anne of Green Gables, this is the newest girl with spunk adventure. 

Discussion notes from Nosy Crow @NosyCrowBooks

The Belles

Description from the Publisher:

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever. Dhonielle Clayton creates a rich, detailed, decadent world of excess and privilege, where beauty is not only skin-deep, but a complete mirage. Weaving deeper questions about the commodification of women's bodies, gender equality, racial identity, and vanity with high-stakes action and incredible imagery, The Belles is the must-read epic of the season.

My Thoughts:

I do not totally agree with the description here, but I do not want to create spoilers. I think they should at least talk about Sophia, one of the antagonists, especially since the description makes it seem like the queen is the bad person here. She is a minor player, as is the "ailing princess." I actually cannot remember the name of the ailing princess, so that says a lot.

That being said, though, that is just a comment on the descriptor that the publisher puts out. The book itself is good if you like dystopia, female-centric, fantasy (with the royalty and magic, but not the fae). They also throw in a futuristic cloning plot that hints of all the evil science fiction cloning movies and books of the past.

This book reminds me of this generation's The Uglies series (The Uglies, The Pretties, Specials, Extra). Considering the Uglies came out in 2006, that counts as the next generation of YA readers. Dystopia in YA continues to be popular. The grass is not always greener on the other side, which is a harsh life lesson, but the magic of YA literature is that the teen protagonists don't let their age/youth/innocence/naivete let them just curl up and die. They are fearless and brash. They set out to change society as social justice warriors. And they always succeed (most of the time, and usually by the third book). 

Black Wings Beating

From the Publisher:

The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists.

Brysen strives to be a great falconer—while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She’s nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe.

Together the twins must journey into the treacherous mountains to trap the Ghost Eagle, the greatest of the Uztari birds and a solitary killer. Brysen goes for the boy he loves and the glory he's long craved, and Kylee to atone for her past and to protect her brother's future. But both are hunted by those who seek one thing: power.

In this first young-adult fantasy novel in a trilogy, Alex London launches a soaring saga about the memories that haunt us, the histories that hunt us, and the bonds of blood between us.

My Thoughts: 

This book has been on my "read later" list on my Kindle for months and yet when I finally decided to read it, I just devoured it. It is my kind of book with fantasy types of quests, as well as YA characters who must try and save their communities with help from other YA characters and despite their present but not present parents (or dead and still haunting them). I know YA  researchers have looked into the different ways that parents are not present in many YA books, and I don't want to go into another essay on that, but it seems to be a formula that YA readers look for and expect in this category of fiction. The post modernist social constructs of "family" and the immense agency that YA characters are given in these books (Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders) seem normalized now and readers want to suspend their disbelief. It is one of the charms of being a YA fiction reader. This also has an LGBTQ character and love triangle, but that too seems normalized, so although it is labeled as LGBTQ, like multicultural YA couples, it's not a thing. Love is love. 

What makes this one interesting is the concept of the raptor birds who almost take the place of "dragons" in this genre in that they are elusive, they are the key to winning and the best trainer is best because of some ancient and as yet untapped ability to connect and communicate with the animal (in this case, birds).

I also enjoyed the complicated relationship between the twins, mostly because I have twin grandkids. The dynamic between twins is always unique even over mere siblings and this book captured it well. Add to that adventure, love interests, betrayal and just the first leg in the journey (the hunt for the ghost eagle) and London has done a great job of reeling in and engaging the reader. 

So why did it take so long for me to pick this book up? After all, this is my preferred genre, it is fast paced and grabbed me right away (once I started reading). 

I did not pick this book up because I don't like the cover. It looks more like a horror cover, even a psychological thriller cover than a YA girl power, fantasy/romance/adventure novel. The cover for me conjures plague, Hitchcock's The Birds, Amityville Horror (the scene with the flies) and for some reason ebola. Maybe the whole plague, bird mites horror for me. It is just personal past trauma, but I am sad that I did not get beyond the cover because I was missing out on a great read.

Red Skies Falling, book 2 in this series comes out in the beginning of September 2019, so it will definitely go on my TBR list, even though I still do not like this next cover. 

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

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7)

From the Publisher:
Aelin has risked everything to save her people-but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they've gathered to battle Erawan's hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation-and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen-before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

My Thoughts:

Overall, with most ends, this one was inevitable and much awaited, yet at the end, it was a little bittersweet. Did it end the way I thought it would? Probably. Was I satisfied with the end? Mostly. After all, this is the culmination novel of 10 years of work by Ms. Maas. I don't know what it is like for an author to say goodbye to a character after that much time, but this is the author's goodbye to this world, to these people, and to this journey. So the question is really about if it was a satisfactory end for her? Was she surprised when these characters that she created did or did not do what she planned for them to do all those years ago when they were just words on paper? 

As a reader, I felt like the author was hesitant to let go, so some parts dragged on just so that the characters could continue to live and fight and carry on. I think J.K. Rowling did the same thing in her series, taking time for Ron, Hermione and Harry to look for the horcrux as a battle ensued and Voldemort and his followers got stronger. So too, the search for the wyrdkeys slowed the pace down a little as well as Aelin's capture in the iron coffin. 

My only spoiler alert is that the wydrkey conclusion was very anticlimactic. All that work for nothing. And what is with that exchange? Again, for naught except loss. I am ok with the loss of her power, but I am still confused with the exchange. 

Favorite female power moment: the healer is more powerful than the warrior. 

Finally, a character dies. Did I want another character to die? Yes. There needed to be multiple losses, as well as someone of major significance. The power, I think, in these girl power YA fantasy books is that the true hero deals with loss and can still forge on because that too is modeling heroism. 

Becoming

When opportunity is not luck

This memoir by the former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, is inspiring not because of what she did, but because of how she reflects on how she has "become" who she is. It is a reflection of a life so far and inspiration for other girls who are born outside of privilege to see that becoming our best selves takes hard work, love, ambition, spirituality, passion and bravery. Yes, this is about the opportunities that she has taken, and it is true that as people of color, we may not seem to get the same opportunities as those who come from privilege, however, when children are willing to value and invest in themselves, it is not that the opportunities come, but that they see smaller steps as opportunities. That is really what Ms. Obama reflects in her work. The little steps that she took, that were available to others, add up together to create the place she is in now. 

The important parts of my story, I was realizing, lay less in the surface value of my accomplishments and more in what undergirded them--the many small ways I'd been buttressed over the years, and the people who'd helped build my confidence over time. I remembered them all, every person who'd ever waved me forward, doing his or her best to inoculate me against the slights and indignities I was certain to encounter in the places I was headed--all those environments built primarily for and by people who were neither black nor female. 

Success is not tied to achievement

Michelle Obama is from the southside of Chicago. One of the most telling depictions of what that means is in the middle of the book where she shares photos from her personal collection. There is a kindergarten photo with a fairly diverse group of students, including one Asian child, to her 5th grade picture at the same school. Within those six years, the ethnic makeup of the school moved from ethnically diverse, to 100% African American.  In that atmosphere she got into Princeton for undergraduate and Harvard for law school. She was an associate for a prestigious firm in Chicago which is where a senior partner asked her to mentor an incoming summer associate: Barak Obama. To some, this is the trajectory and the turning point of her becoming Michelle Obama, but her passion was elsewhere. For her, success was not tied to achievement, but she had to reach for that ladder and climb those rungs first before she could later in her life choose her children first, swallow her ambition to allow room for her husband's own vision and passion, and understand that collective achievement may look more like personal sacrifice than personal success, but that this really, was part of the becoming. 

Last words

It's not about being perfect. It's not about where you get yourself in the end. There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there's grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.

Don't Date Rosa Santos

From the Publisher:

For fans of GILMORE GIRLS and TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE, this effervescent love story from debut author Nina Moreno will sweep you away. Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea—at least, that's what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you're a boy with a boat. But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about. As her college decision looms, Rosa collides—literally—with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?

My Thoughts:

This is like Gilmore Girls and To All the Boys I've Loved Before, except Rosa as a character is much less irritating on paper. This is cute, cute, cute. I think the relationship with Rosa and Mimi, the complication of her mother and her very loyal friends are characters that you want to root for. Even Cuba is a magical character that pulls all of the characters in very interesting ways. 

I hope this becomes a movie. I think it will do well and I would love to see another multicultural YA movie!

Children of Blood and Bone

From the Publisher:

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

My Thoughts:

This book has gotten a lot of press and it has taken me a long time to read it because of the length as well as the very long waiting list at my public library. So is it worth the hype? 

It is.

Add this to the long list of exciting girl power fantasy books in the YA market. Granted, it seems oversaturated by girl power fantasy books, but what makes this one different is the indigenous lens which goes against most western centric values of what makes a heroine strong. Although the end was unsatisfactory, what is very refreshing is that Zelie is vulnerable and weak. She is open about that, but characters rally around her regardless. That makes this worth the wait. 

Dealing in Dreams

From the Publishers:

At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets.

Sixteen-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throwdowns and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but Nalah quickly grows weary of her questionable lifestyle. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega Towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city's benevolent founder and cross the border in a search of the mysterious gang the Ashé Ryders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles crews and her own doubts but the closer she gets to her goal the more she loses sight of everything--and everyone--she cares about.

Nalah must choose whether or not she's willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants. Can she discover that home is not where you live but whom you chose to protect before she loses the family she's created for good?

My Thoughts:

One reviewer said that this girl-power, dystopian YA novel is a mix of S. E. Hinton's classic, The Outsiders and Mad Max: Fury Road. I try not to read the publisher description, but I saw the bolded snippet of this review which meant that the whole time I was reading this book, I pictured Déesse, the matriarch of Mega City as Tina Turner/Aunty Entity, the ruthless leader of Bartertown in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome. I do agree that Ms. Rivera does take a similar storyline to The Outsiders moved into a kind of future where girl gangs run the streets and drugs keep the masses "toiling." I think the premise is engaging, although as a YA reader who is not the typical audience of these authors, I need to be patient with the protagonist, Chief Rocka/Nalah, as she goes through her own identity crisis and social justice crisis. 

This is good for readers that are looking for Hunger Games kind of action.

The Deepest Blue

From the Publisher

Life is precious and precarious on the islands of Belene. Besieged by a capricious ocean full of malicious spirits, the people of the islands seek joy where they can. Mayara, one of the island’s fearless oyster divers, has found happiness in love. But on the day of her wedding to the artist Kelo, a spirit-driven storm hits the island with deadly force.

To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits. When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen’s soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her.

They vary in age and social status, but to many they are heroes who will aid the country or witches that will sacrifice themselves trying. No matter who they are, the women are sent to a terrifying place—an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.

My Thoughts

Fantasy -- yaasss!

Girl power fantasy --- yaasss!

Standalone girl power fantasy --- yaassss!!!

But what is really great about this is that Mayara's power does not come from pain, betrayal, loss. Her power comes from love - love for her family, love for her husband, love for her community.  She has a keen sense of social justice that can only happen because she knows that her husband will support her, no matter what. He shows through his actions that he believes in her and knows that although he will help to protect her, she can protect him and many more so he just tries to make that happen, even to the point of being willing to let her go. How refreshing!

Maneaters, Vol. 1

Description:

Adolescent girls can be real monsters. Maude is twelve -- which is just about that age when some girls turn into flesh-eating wildcats. As her detective dad investigates a series of strange mauling attacks, Maude begins to worry that she might be the killer. From the creative team that brought you the groundbreaking Eisner-nominated series Mockingbird, this trade paperback collects the first story arc of the unconventional coming-of-age tale -- including the informative survival handbook, "CAT FIGHT! A BOYS' GUIDE TO DANGEROUS CATS" and all-new never-before-published extras! Collects MAN-EATERS #1-4

My thoughts:

In true Japanese manga style, this book is neither age appropriate to American standards nor is it really an easily marketable book. Saying that, the last Saturday in April is National Independent Bookstore day so this is a good book for my favorite neighborhood book store, Gecko Books & Comics in Kaimuki, Oahu. When my son was younger, our dream was to open up a comic and manga store in Hilo, Hawaii and this would fit right into our inventory of our overstuffed books of new and used comics and manga, comfy chairs wedged near the front window, my son's large cat wandering the aisles or sleeping amongst the stacks. 

I digress. Comics like this, at its best, are a mirror to our contemporary society so 12 year old Maude in a pussy hat puts this book in a specific time and place (Trump's America). The premise: the idea that girls who get their period sometimes transition to mauling cats during their monthly links in to the ancient traditions of many cultures worldwide that have always seen the female menstrual cycle as a time when women are dirty, evil, when women need to be isolated, and something to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, these women creators play into that but I have to see this as a way not to continue the marginalization of these young girls, but more to make a statement of empowerment. The solution that society comes up with (the blocking of nature to keep girls girls forever and thus tamping down both the murders as well as the ability to bare children) is only made ok because our heroine cannot be tamped down. 

I like that this book made me uncomfortable because being uncomfortable is a good way to face my own meaning making, cultural lens and societal lens. In short, I am not sure what reader I would give this to besides female. I can see it on our make believe shelves in our make believe store. 

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass Book 6)

Description:

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica--the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both--and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

My Thoughts:

If readers are set on seeing Aelin and Rowan, especially since Queen Maeve has Aelin captured in an iron coffin, this is not the book that you want to read.

However, the character of Chaol is finally interesting again because of this story. I was afraid that his blind stubbornness and sniveling attitude was going to be just too much to bear. However, that was not the case. In addition, these discoveries that are hinted at in the description are indeed worth it as this second to the last novel in this series starts to make more connections and pathways to the conclusion. 

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass Book 5)

Warning:

This girl power, fantasy, fae, action heavy series (book 5 of 7) is addicting. Aelin is a schemer. Her plans are revealed months after. She has a superiority disorder and fear to trust that others will take care of her so she pushes herself to take on the world mostly alone without letting others in on her plans. It makes for an exciting read.

However, while Book 4 , Queen of Shadows, could possible end the series and leave the reader to make up a happy ending, do not start book 5 until you already have at least book 6 in hand. I do not. A good thing since I actually have work to do, but finding the next book on my queue was tough. 

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)

My thoughts:

I don't have enough free time in the day or night to devour these, but usually by this time in a series, my interest waives. Not this time. My new understanding about the main characters:

• Aelin the Schemer/Trickster/Queen reveals her super power and that is cunning and smarts.
• Team Aelin and whoever makes her happy (Rowan for now) - but this just shows that she can save her own damn self
• The loyalty and honor amongst the women in this series, even those who are enemies makes this stand out from other similar series. 
• This one could actually end the series but the fact that it does not just means there is more disappointment ahead and we cannot make up any happy ending so have #5 in hand and expect heartbreak.