I Admit it: I Love Enola Holmes Why do I love her? Because she’s intelligent, independent, gutsy, funny, and cares about people. Because these books are delightful, fun, and often serious. Because growing up I loved reading Sherlock Holmes novels. In those teen years, what I missed were female protagonists. I would have treasured these […]
Stealing Infinity: Breaking Expectations
Can you steal infinity? Am I going to answer that question? No! Alyson Noel’s young adult novel “Stealing Infinity” is a fascinating, trippy, and sometimes unexpected story. The novel is told from a first person point of view, and because we only have Natasha’s understanding of the happenings, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding events, […]
“Survive the Dome”: A Bold Dystopian Novel
Dystopian? Thriller? Kosovo Jackson’s young adult novel, “Survive the Dome,” smashes several genres together and creates an entertaining story that is a mix of thriller, gay romance, and dystopian. This story isn’t a distant dystopian future—the set up felt contemporary. I could imagine something similar happening now. We live in a crazy world. Throw in […]
“The Gilded Ones”: A Grimdark YA Fantasy
The Grimdark World of “The Gilded Ones” “The Gilded Ones” by Namina Forma is a debut fantasy novel and the first book in the series. Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in a society where all girls have to go through a purification ceremony. If you’ve read any fantasy books, you’ll know Deka is in trouble. How much […]
“The Last Graduate”: Naomi Novik’s Trek to the Dark Side
Lesson Two of the Scholomance School “The Last Graduate” is the second book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Up front, I’ve gotta say, this is NOT a standalone. If you haven’t read Deadly Education, start with that book, or you’ll find yourself thrown into a story that doesn’t make sense. I’m writing this review assuming […]
Deadly Education: Surviving High School
Scholomance: Nothing Like Hogwarts Naomi Novik’s “His Majesty’s Dragon” is one of my all-time favorite series. I loved her fairytales, and I preordered “Deadly Education,” and yet it took me a year to getting around to reading it. I think I wasn’t excited about another magic school story. Yes, I sometimes I make foolish […]