Tag: Young Adult

Book Club Review: “Superman Smashes the Klan”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. This June we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of book club. So in celebration of that milestone, we are re-visiting authors we read way back in those first few years of our book club. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru (Ill.)

Publishing Info: DC Zoom, May 2020

Where Did We Get This Book: Kate owns it; Serena got it from the library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Repeat Author: Gene Luen Yang

Book Description: The year is 1946, and the Lee family has moved from Chinatown to Downtown Metropolis. While Dr. Lee is eager to begin his new position at the Metropolis Health Department, his two kids, Roberta and Tommy, are more excited about being closer to the famous superhero Superman!

Tommy adjusts quickly to the fast pace of their new neighborhood, befriending Jimmy Olsen and joining the club baseball team, while his younger sister Roberta feels out of place when she fails to fit in with the neighborhood kids. She’s awkward, quiet, and self-conscious of how she looks different from the kids around her, so she sticks to watching people instead of talking to them.

While the Lees try to adjust to their new lives, an evil is stirring in Metropolis: the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan targets the Lee family, beginning a string of terrorist attacks. They kidnap Tommy, attack the Daily Planet, and even threaten the local YMCA. But with the help of Roberta’s keen skills of observation, Superman is able to fight the Klan’s terror, while exposing those in power who support them–and Roberta and Superman learn to embrace their own unique features that set them apart.

Kate’s Thoughts

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book, as I’m sure some of you will remember that I reviewed it a couple years ago (and it even ended up on my Best Of list that year). But I knew that when I was going to select an author to revisit I was going to to Gene Luen Yang, and “Superman Smashes the Klan” just seemed like the correct choice. And my opinion hasn’t changed too much since I first read it. I still really love this graphic novel.

Yang takes a very heavy (but still all too relevant) story about racism and prejudice in America, f0llowing the Lees, a Chinese American who have just moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Metropolis after living in Chinatown, in the 1940s. As they all have their own strategies (and struggles) in adjusting, it doesn’t help that the Klan of the Fiery Cross (a clear analog to the KKK) has started targeting them. Meanwhile, Superman befriends the Lees, and his still coming to terms with his own identity, as an alien who has tried to pass as human when he is Clark Kent, and who is revered in his Superman identity, though he knows that people could shift on him at the drop of a hat. I loved the comparing and contrasting of the Lees and Superman and their inner conflicts about how to assimilate and how to be ‘ideal’ without being threatening. Yang actually took a previous story from the Superman radio show and expanded it in this story, and he makes it so easily accessible to his target audience, making it very digestable and very relatable and readable. And as I said, the themes in this book of racism and bigotry and Othering are still far too relevant, which makes it all the more necessary reading for kids, and packaged so well with such a fantastic interpretation of a beloved comic character who always symbolizes the very best of us.

“Superman Smashes the Klan” is still a fantastic read. I enjoyed it just as much this time as the first time, and it fostered from great conversations in our book club.

Serena’s Thoughts:

Unlike Kate, I hadn’t read this one before. But like Kate, I am a massive Superman fan, so was excited to check it out! And I can definitely see what all the fuss was about! This was an excellent graphic novel in pretty much every way.

The story manages to take on some very heavy themes (pretty easy to guess which based on the title alone) but does so in a manner that is both approachable to kids and useful to adults. Even more impressive, for covering some difficult topics, the reading experience is still an expression of joy and hope. I think this is incredibly important for any Superman story and was pleased to see how well the overall tone of Superman was captured. This probably shouldn’t be a surprise as I know that the author has written other Superman stories as well.

I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the immigrant experience and how Superman’s own alien origins played into this. As most Superman fans know, the character was originally presented without the ability to fly, only the ability to “jump over tall buildings.” Here, that idea is taken on and presented as Superman’s concerns of expressing his full abilities due to an incident when he was younger in which the people of Smallville reacted with fear to the full range of his “otherness.” It was such an interesting way of tackling not only an interesting fact about the character but of the many challenges of the immigrant experience.

I also very much appreciated the historical aspects of the story, especially author’s note at the end that went into more details about the origins of the story itself. This is a great read for any Superman fan and well worth a read!

Kate’s Rating 9: Still a great read and still all too relevant, “Superman Smashes the Klan” is a fantastic piece of historical fiction and a wonderful look at the immigrant experience in the face of prejudice, whether you are from Earth or Krypton.

Serena’s Rating 8: Tackling tough topics while maintaining the sense of hope in humankind that is so crucial to the Superman mythos.

Book Club Questions

  1. What did you think of the story of the Lee Family and how it brings together a story of culture, assimilation, racism, and identity?
  2. Were you familiar with some of the timelines described in this book in regards to the KKK in this country’s history? Did any of these revelations surprise you?
  3. What were your thoughts on the comparison and contrast between Superman’s experience as an Other and that of the Lee family?
  4. Did you enjoy how Yang incorporated Superman’s original leaping powers into this story, as well as other powers that evolved over time?
  5. What were your thoughts on the reveal of the identity behind the Grand Mogul? What do you think Yang was trying to say with that twist?
  6. Let’s talk about the different kinds of racism and bigotry in this book, from out and out Klansmen to more ‘acceptable’ and covert forms of racism (i.e. Chuck’s mom, even Mr. Lee’s prejudice against Black people). Thoughts on that?
  7. Who would you recommend this book to? How would you use it as a connector to today’s social issues?

Reader’s Advisory

“Superman Smashes the Klan” is included on the Goodreads lists “Superheroes, Comics, and Social Justice”, and “Best of Superman”.

Next Book Club Pick: “Summer Days and Summer Nights” by Stephanie Perkins (Ed.)

Serena’s Review: “Down Comes the Night”

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Book: “Down Comes the Night” by Allison Saft

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, October 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend–the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.

Review: This is one of those funny books that made its way up my TBR list in a unique way. In that, I’ve now read and very much enjoyed two different books by Saft in the past, and then the other day while I was going through my backlog of NetGalley requests to find a new read, low and behold, there was a (several years old) book I’d requested from the very same author! It’s also clear that this might not be that unique of a situation, as the publisher has now re-released this book with this updated cover. Funny how that goes, when an author releases one or more books before they finally strike upon one that opens readers’ eyes to their potential, and then bam! That back catalog of book suddenly seems well worth a second look! A very similar thing happened with Syvia Moreno Garcia after she published “Mexican Gothic.” Of course, I was a fan before it was cool! 😉 Anyways, on to the review for this book.

I really enjoyed this one! Of course, it had a lot of things I like going for it from the start: a sympathetic leading lady, strong female friendships, creepy gothic vibes, and a lovely slow-burn romance. Let’s start with the main character! I really appreciated the overall arc that Wren travels over the course of the book. In the start, we see her struggling against the judgements and expectations of those around her, people she loves and respects, all of whom are telling her that her sympathy and emotional decision making are weaknesses that must be suppressed. As the story continues, we see Wren push back against this, slowly beginning to reclaim the power of her own sensitivities and instinctual kindness. But it’s not a straightforward journey, and I appreciated the “two steps forward, one step backward” nature of her story. It’s not an easy thing to throw off the expectations of those you admire and to instead choose to follow your own path, and we see Wren struggle more than once to follow through on what she knows to be right, in her heart.

While it took a bit to get there, I loved the time we spent in the gothic-inspire manor. It had all of the slow-build dread and lingering horror that one looks for in a haunted house. Saft’s lyrical style of writing shone particularly strongly in these depictions, and there were scenes and settings here that truly gave me the shivers. And, of course, on top of that we have enigmatic lord of the house, with all of his secrets to be slowly revealed. I did feel like some of these secrets and mysteries were perhaps a bit easy to guess, but it’s one of those cases where the conventions of this sort of story betray it a bit, as far as these reveals go. Even if the reader has their suspicions, the experience of the gothic story makes up for some of the predictability.

I also really enjoyed the relationships in this book. Of course, the love story is the primary focus, and this was as sweet and lovely as you could wish for. There were even a few bumps in the road that I hadn’t fully anticipated which helped to add a greater level of depth to a relationship that could have become a bit too straight-forward. However, the more complex relationships came in the form of Wren’s best friend (and first love interest) and the Queen, Wren’s aunt. Through these female relationships, the book explores the challenges of close relationships, the ways in which those we care about can hurt us and misunderstand us more than anyone else. And, of course, likewise. The Queen, in particular, was an interesting character, because for much of the story, she’s almost cartoonishly horrible to Wren. So I was pleased to see a greater level of depth brought to her later in the book.

I will say, however, that now having read three books by this author, it does seem to me that she struggles with pacing towards the end of books. Like “A Fragile Enchantment,” the final third of this book is a roller-coaster ride of building conflict, a seeming resolution, only to lead directly into another conflict. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what the problem is, but there’s something off with the pacing and the reader’s ability to feel like the story is building to a true climax. Instead, you keep getting these mini climactic moments, not knowing which is meant to be the true one. It’s too bad, because the first parts of this book (and the others from Saft where I’ve struggled with a similar problem) are well-paced. It’s specifically an issue with the endings.

That said, I did enjoy how it all wrapped up, and the overall experience was good. Fans of this author, or those looking for a “cozy/gothic” fantasy story should definitely give this one a go!

Rating 8: Saft continues to impress with her incredible female leads and her swoon-worthy romances!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Down Comes the Night” isn’t on many Goodreads lists, but it is on Books with “Night” in the title.

Kate’s Review: “Crumbs”

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Book: “Crumbs” by Danie Stirling

Publishing Info: Clarion Books, July 2022

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Falling in love just got sweeter in this charming, romantic YA graphic novel from WEBTOON, the #1 digital comic platform. Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town’s magic bakery.

In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance.

When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple. Both Ray and Laurie are chasing their own dreams and even when Ray starts to see the future, she can’t predict her fate with Laurie.

Based on the beloved webcomic from WEBTOON, this sweet coming-of-age story of friendship and first love comes to life in graphic novel format with gorgeous illustrations and exclusive content.

Review: I had seen “Crumbs” by Danie Stirling here and there on my various book related social media accounts, mostly Goodreads. The cover kept showing up and I had to look into it because it was, admittedly, super cute, and by the time I did check it out I was pretty convinced that I should read it. What’s not to like, after all? I like graphic novels, the magical elements sounded cute and serene, and I like a nice feel good romance. And besides, I feel like I’m suffering from massive existential dread in my day to day life, so something fluffy and sweet could be welcome. So I checked it out from the library and gave it a go. To mixed results.

I will say that this book is admittedly very sweet and cozy. I do like that there seems to be a sudden rise in more cozy fantasy novels, with titles like “Legends and Lattes” and “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” being pretty well liked by audiences, as sometimes you just need a charming and sweet story and you want it to have fantasy elements to boot. I did find “Crumbs” to be a very easy going read, and I liked the light fantasy tidbits like the magical bakery, the phones with little spirits acting as Siris, and even the hinted at broader magical government system and how even THAT can be a bit of a can of worms. I would absolutely LOVE to spend time at Marigold’s bakery, eating cakes and drinking coffees with various spells and charms cast upon them to help the consumer with things like self confidence and romance (but not in a boundary breaking or violating way). I also really liked that our protagonist Ray is a Seer, but not in the usual sense, in that she can only see things that are happening in the present and are existing in the now. So while she can’t, say, predict a giant storm that is going to be coming in a week’s time, she can see that at this moment there is a rainstorm happening miles away. Usually we think of seers in fantasy as being strictly dabbling in the future, so having it be in the now is SO interesting to me. This of course grows and shifts as Ray hones her powers during her time working for the Grand Council, which helps keep society in place and acts as governing body of sorts, and I enjoyed the ins and outs of it.

But I think that there is a clear flip side to this, and that is the fact that it’s almost TOO cozy and twee when it comes to the romance arc between Ray and her boyfriend Laurie. It starts cute and sweet enough, as Laurie is the barista at her aunt Marigold’s bakery and Ray is a regular customer, going there once a week for tea and a romance pastry, and seeing them tentatively begin a relationship was tender and felt pretty realistic in a number of ways. But I think that what was less interesting to me was that their conflicts, while pretty realistic as well, just didn’t feel very high stakes to me, and therefore felt kind of boring. I don’t need there to be a huge melodramatic problem that leans towards full on dysfunction or toxicity. But at the same time, I really don’t find myself super invested when the problems are about mild trust issues (that we don’t REALLY explore beyond one moment) and someone who is too much of a people pleaser. I can understand that there are people who aren’t comfortable with any kind of high stakes unhealthiness being portrayed in a relationship, but man, I do kind of want a little more conflict in my fiction, because for me fiction is about being able to explore those things in a safe way BECAUSE it is fiction. I know that this is personal preference, and that there are almost certainly people out here who will really love this aspect of the book. But it didn’t gel with me.

Finally, I really liked the artwork. It fits the tone of the story, and I always love seeing how food is drawn in graphic novels because it’s fun to see how tantalizing it can be.

(source: Clarion Books)

“Crumbs” didn’t work for me an all levels, but I definitely know there are people who like cozy fantasy and gentle stories about romance and relationships that will enjoy it.

Rating 5: It’s a sweet and gentle romance with some hints of magical creativity, but “Crumbs” didn’t invest me too much in the central characters and their maneuvering through a relationship.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Crumbs” is included on the Goodreads lists “Cozy Fantasy Romance Reads”, and “Food Themed Romance Comics”.

Serena’s Review: “Castle of the Cursed”

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Book: “Castle of the Cursed” by Romina Garber

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, July 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

Review: One of my favorite subgenres recently has been gothic fantasy. There have simply been so many good ones of late that I almost have gotten to the point where I just expect them all to be amazing, simply by definition. I was also intrigued by the promise of a murder (?) mystery regarding the loss of Estela’s parents. And while I knew that a romance would be involved, and often I like a good romantic subplot, unfortunately the loves story brought it all down for me.

But let’s start with some positives! Of the three primary aspects of the story (gothic, mystery, romance) the gothic portion of the story fares the best. Once Estela gets to the estate, the author’s style of writing seemed to come more to life, effectively building tension and creating an atmosphere of barely-concealed horror. Second to the gothic aspects, the mystery was also compelling, especially in the beginning of the book when Estela is first beginning to realize that there is more going on here than a random, tragic accident. Once certain elements were introduced, I did feel like the big twist was a bit predictable, but on its own, I think this was a creative turn to the story. I wasn’t expecting the book to go quite so far into the fantastical as this one went, and for the most part, much of this was successful.

Unfortunately, the romance really killed it for me. A large part of this comes down to the fact that much of the story takes place over a very compressed number of days. I always struggle with love stories that develop this quickly; I can’t quite turn of my own skepticism over it all. That’s not to say, however, that a fast love story never works, but I do think it takes a very solid hand on characterization overall to pull it off. And here, neither Estela nor Sebastian were up to it. Both felt very flat, especially in their interactions with one another. Estela’s original arc, her struggles with the guilt of surviving the deaths of her parents, had a lot of potential. But the minute the love story started up, she seemed to lose much of this inner character work. And, again, this all happens rapidly, so it was difficult to believe in the sincerity of these emotions.

I also don’t want to get into spoilers with regards to some of the major twists in the end. But, essentially, I felt like the explanation for the resolution to the final conflict to be fairly ridiculous. It pretty much required the reader to disregard everything we’d seen from Estela up to this point and pretend that she was a very different character than she was. One of the things that I appreciated initially with this character was the struggles that she continued suffer through in the beginning of the story. But as the story went on, because the character became so consumed by the romance, we didn’t see the necessary growth to justify the things we were being told about her in the end. In fact, only a few pages before the fact, the character behaves in a manner that directly contradicts what we are later told is a crucial trait she contains!

Overall, I was a bit disappointed by this read. After a promising start, the story quickly began to fall flat and the characters were unable to hold my interest. The writing was strong enough and particularly shone with regards to the gothic/horror elements of the story. But the romance was uninspiring and dull, and as that ended up taking up a large chunk of the story, that killed it for me a bit. That said, romance is an incredibly subjective element of storytelling, so other readers may enjoy this one more than me!

Rating 7: While the gothic/horror elements were interesting, the characters and the love story failed to capture my imagination.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Castle of the Cursed” can be found on these Goodreads lists: YA Gothic and Ladies of Horror and Dark Fiction Writing.

Kate’s Review: “49 Miles Alone”

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Book: “49 Miles Alone” by Natalie D. Richards

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, July 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Four days alone in the desert. Except they’re not as alone as they think.

A year ago, Katie and her cousin Aster survived a night that left their world and easy friendship fractured. Desperate to heal and leave the past behind them, they tackle four days of hiking in the Utah backcountry. But the desert they’ve loved for years has tricks up its sleeve. An illness, an injury, and a freak storm leave them short on confidence and supplies. When they come across a young couple with extra supplies on the trail, they’re grateful and relieved―at first. Riley exudes friendliness, but everything about her boyfriend Finn spells trouble.

That night, after some chilling admissions about Finn from Riley, Katie and Aster wake to hear the couple fighting. Helpless and trapped in the darkness, they witness Riley’s desperate race into the night, with Finn chasing after. In the morning, they find the couple’s camp, but Riley and Finn? Vanished. Katie is sure Riley is in trouble. And with help a two-day hike away, they know they are the only ones who can save her before something terrible happens. The clock is ticking and their supplies are dwindling, but Katie and Aster know they have to find Riley before Finn―or the desert―gets to her first.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel!

I truly think that Summer, while not a favorite season of mine, has a book vibe that I really like to adhere to. Much like Fall feeling like the perfect ambiance for a horror story or a cozy fantasy, for me Summer feels like the best time to tap into various kinds of thrillers. One of those sub-genres is survival thrillers, especially if they are set in the wilderness. So I was very excited to read “49 Miles Alone” by Natalie D. Richards, which follows cousins Katie and Aster on a wilderness hike that goes pretty sour and they are suddenly in the web of a killer. This is my FAVORITE kind of wilderness survival tale, and I hopped on in ready for a wild ride!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not an outdoorsy kinda person outside of the occasional hike through a state or national park, or for some landscape photography excursions. Certainly not multiple days of camping or hardcore hiking and off trail backpacking. But I do love seeing that premise used in a survival/wilderness thriller, and “49 Miles Alone” does a great job of highlighting the real dangers of the wilderness even without having a killer in the vicinity. As Katie and Aster start their journey, it’s already tense due to an incident in the near past that left Aster wracked with guilt and Katie traumatized, and things just keep going wrong and make the tension build all the more. Whether it’s weirdos on the trail, or a storm that manifested out of nowhere and makes the trail that much more unpredictable and dangerous, or Aster suddenly falling ill, many small things keep piling up to turn into one big troublesome and dangerous situation. I’ve known people who do this kind of hiking and camping who have BEEN in these sudden life or death situations where you have to make quick decisions that could end very badly, and watching Katie and Aster have to contend with these things on top of Katie’s trauma and Aster’s guilt made for a lot of really well done suspenseful beats.

But the main point of suspension, when Aster and Katie meet a couple on the trail and Katie suspects the man, Finn, to be dangerous, didn’t hit as hard as i had hoped it would. I normally really like this trope of wilderness savvy people meeting dangerous psychos and having to navigate the wilderness with them, as when it’s done well (like in “The River Wild” or “Desolation”, two films I really like) it can be SO nerve wracking. But I think that in this one it gets a little tripped up, partially due to the timing of meeting Finn and his hiking partner/girlfriend Riley, and partially due to not really getting much insight into the two of them outside of some interactions from Aster’s and Katie’s POVs. To make things worse, by the time we do get to the main driving conflict of potentially being hunted down, it felt a bit more rushed as opposed to the slow build of the earlier parts of the book. I also kind of called one of the big twists pretty quickly, which always kind of pulls the wind out of the sails of a thriller.

So it was a bit of a mixed bag. But that said, “49 Miles Alone” has some really good bits of realistic wilderness survival thrills. It’s a good summer read to be sure!

Rating 7: I loved the tense build up of the perils of an unpredictable hike between tension filled cousins, and I wish it had stayed more in that realm as the dangerous killer on the trail was a little underwhelming.

Reader’s Advisory:

“49 Miles Alone” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2024”.

Kate’s Review: “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry”


This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” by Amelinda Bérubé

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, July 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: From the author of Here There Are Monsters comes a chilling supernatural horror that is part terrifying vampire legend and part modern exploration of toxic relationships wrapped up in a novel about hunger, yearning, and loss.

After the sudden death of her perfect, popular older sister, Jo and her family feel empty. But days after crying at Audrey’s graveside, Jo stumbles on the impossible: Audrey, standing barefoot in the snowy backyard. But Audrey isn’t breathing. She’s still marred with the evidence of an autopsy. She’s decaying. And worst of all, Audrey is hungry, and only human blood can curb her relentless appetite.

Jo knows she can put her family back together; she just has to figure out how to fix Audrey. She hides her sister and sustains her with her own blood, determined to figure out how to keep Audrey with them. When her search takes her to her sister’s grieving inner circle of friends, Jo finds herself drawn into their fold―and to Audrey’s boyfriend, Sam.

As Jo slips further into her sister’s old life, Audrey’s hunger and jealousy grow more insatiable. She’s not going to sit back and let Jo replace her or, worse, discover the secrets hidden beneath her golden girl facade. As Jo struggles to juggle everything she will be forced to decide which of her loved ones needs her the most ―and who she’s willing to sacrifice to save them.

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s been awhile since “Twilight” made vampires the hot paranormal love interest, which in turn made vampires so passé due to the over saturation of the sub-genre. But lo and behold, I am confident in saying that vampires have made their way back into the forefront of horror fiction, with MANY vampire stories coming out lately. But this time around we don’t see nearly as much romance as we did back when Edward Cullen was bringing in the readers, and while I am no longer as staunchly critical of “Twilight” as I was back when it was a phenomenon, I do have to say that I really love that vampires are a little bit wicked again. Mostly because authors are finding ways to explore that wickedness and make it feel fresh, while also being willing to explore the tragedy that can come along with it. And with that we come to “The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” by Amelinda Bérubé, a new YA vampire novel about a younger sister named Jo whose older, popular sister Audrey died… and then came back as something hungry for blood. Blood that Jo is willing to provide, and Audrey is more than willing to take.

Her name is even Audrey, that’s so fun (source)

It’s a great premise, and I really enjoyed the ‘vampire mother and teenage daughter’ theme in “Night’s Edge”, so why not a vampire and her sister?

Overall this one worked really well for me. I already like a vampire as manipulative predator story, and when you make the manipulator a formerly popular older sister and the manipulated an always waiting in the wings younger sister, it has SO much room to explore and devastate. Jo is our protagonist, who is absolutely floored and devastated by the sudden death of her ambitious and driven older sister Audrey. Jo is left adrift, her mother is so bereft she shuts herself away from the world, and her father is trying to keep things together in the family but doesn’t know how to verbalize his grief. I thought that the portrayals of grief and how many forms it can come in was well done and at times quite heart wrenching, and it makes all the more sense when Audrey suddenly shows up at the house in the middle of the night, much to Jo’s horror. Jo has always been in Audrey’s shadow, and hoping to piece their family back together and to bring back the golden child she, of course, wants to help Audrey and try to ‘cure her’, as she is very clearly not alive, but not quite dead (even though she very much looks and smells like she is). If this means she’s going to do some bloodletting, and Audrey is going to keep begging her, and badgering her, for more, so be it. It’s a return to the ‘vampire as a manipulative abuser’ trope, and while it doesn’t explore the intricacies of Audrey herself beyond selfishness (that may have even been apparent when she was alive), it’s an interesting character study of Jo and how far she would go to help Audrey, the sister who always outshined her. Things get all the more complicated when Jo starts spending time with Audrey’s friends, especially her boyfriend Sam, and Jo starts to relish filling a void left behind. Jo’s arc adds a very human element to a supernatural horror story, and it was pretty effective.

I also really enjoyed the vampire world building in this book. Bérubé has a really great author’s note in the back talking about the inspiration of New England ‘true’ vampire stories, and how she referenced and researched and pulled tidbits from that folk lore. She also goes a bit further and expands upon the vampire lore and makes for some creative, and actually pretty well thought out, additions to how vampires in her story work. The biggest one was the way that Audrey has kept all of her wounds and seems to be decaying before Jo’s eyes, with blood being the only thing to tenuously bring her back from a rotting brink. There’s even the fact that any kind of warm air make Audrey’s skin start to bloat and change, the way that heat would affect a rotting corpse (with some pretty nasty imagery involved). It’s a real change from how so many vampires are portrayed as beautiful and seductive antagonists, and I really appreciated the way she takes it a few steps further into grossness while still working within a wholly believable range (of COURSE a corpse would start to bloat in heat, and what are vampires but sentient and immortal corpses?). I love that vampires get to be gross as well as creepy and unsettling in this book.

“The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” is an entertaining vampire novel for a YA audience with some serious crossover potential for adult horror fans. I definitely enjoyed it.

Rating 8: A dark and at times quite sad book about loss, sibling dynamics, tricky familial relationships, and vampires.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Ones Who Come Back Hungry” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2024”.

Kate’s Review: “Together in a Broken World”

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Book: “Together in a Broken World” by Paul Michael Winters

Publishing Info: Ninestar Press, L.L.C., May 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher vis a vis Pacific and Court.

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them.

Seventeen-year-old Zach was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single scratch. Now, a year later, civilization lies in ruins, and Zach is the town’s sole survivor. Desperately lonely, he longs to return to his family in Seattle, but his fears hold him captive.

Eighteen-year-old Aiden is on a critical mission for the covert Scientific Collective, delivering vials whose contents could cure the Infection. Tortured by his boyfriend’s death, he welcomes the risks of the perilous journey. When a militia attacks Aiden, he flees to Zach’s town.

The boys escape together and soon form a bond as they comfort each other in this desolate and broken world. The farther they travel, the more their affection grows, as do the forces pulling them apart. But their greatest threats are the secrets they keep. Zach hides details of his uncle’s death, and Aiden conceals the vials’ sinister origins. In order to survive, they’ll have to confront the truths that could tear their love apart.

Review: Thank you to Pacific & Court for sending me an ARC of this novel!

It’s been a bit since I’ve covered a straight up post-apocalyptic story here on the blog, and now that we are finally past the more acute stages of the waning pandemic I’m feeling less of an anxiety spike when I read these kinds of stories as of late. So when “Together in a Broken World” by Paul Michael Winters ended up in my hands, I was eager to give it a go! You already had me at a post-apocalyptic setting, but then you add in a romance between two flawed but good hearted characters struggling to survive, and I am even more on board! And “Together in a Broken World” really met my expectations!

Given that Pride month starts in a few days, I will first talk about what a lovely queer romance it is as the beating heart of this story. Zach and Aiden are two strangers trying to survive in a world that has been ravaged by an infection that turns people into, essentially, zombies, and have been left adrift in different ways. For Zach it’s being the last person left in the small town he had been visiting right before things went to hell. For Aiden it’s working as a courier for a group that is trying to find a cure, which has made him a target of those who are in direct conflict with that for whatever reason that may be. It makes their lives very lonely, so seeing them meet and forge a connection with each other makes for a great set up for a really sweet romance. I love a slow burn, and this one is definitely that given that they are both understandably standoffish at first. But I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other, and to connect after they have been so alone and so haunted by their loneliness and regrets and fears. It feels like “Heartstopper” meets the episode “Long, Long Time” from “The Last of Us”, and Winters really captures the soaring love as well as the deep heartache and sadness of their circumstances, and the traumas they have faced which can lead to some bad decision making. I was rooting for them from the jump.

And since this is a post-apocalyptic tale, it’s only natural to talk about the world building on how the world has gotten to this point of the collapse of civilization. Winters has a pretty well thought out end of the world scenario, that combines natural disaster with fast spreading novel pathogen to create a wasteland of infected people and those who are uninfected, but left to total chaos and a “Mad Max” like reality of nomadic and isolated lives trying to hide from violent opportunists. Any good zombie story will make it clear that it’s actually the humans who are the true threat, and I thought that “Together in a Broken World” achieved that with a unique and suspenseful premise, particularly as Aiden is trying to bring a potential cure through hundreds of miles of dangerous wasteland with threats from all sides. I especially enjoyed the tidbits about Aiden running from an extremist militia that doesn’t trust the Scientific Collective, the group that is trying to find a cure, and wants to hinder him at all costs because of their conspiracy theorist nonsense and delusions, as it adds a whole other layer to an already fraught survival tale. It fits right in with other end of the world thrillers, and as an aficionado of the genre I was a fan.

I definitely recommend “Together in a Broken World” for not only young adults who enjoy end of days thrillers, but anyone who likes the sub genre. And hey, as I said, Pride Month is right around the corner, so if you are looking for LGBTQIA+ rep in your reading, add it to the list!

Rating 8: A suspenseful thriller and also a lovely romance, “Together in a Broken World” is about queer joy in the face of great adversity, as well as some pretty cool end of the world mythos.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Together in a Broken World” is included on the Goodreads list “2024 Queer YA Books”.

Serena’s Review: “Everything We Never Said”

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Book: “Everything We Never Said” by Sloan Harrow

Publishing Info: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, may 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: It’s been months since the accident that killed Ella’s best friend, Hayley, and Ella can’t stop blaming herself. Now Ella is back at school, and everywhere she looks are reminders of her best friend—including Sawyer, Hayley’s boyfriend. Little by little, they grow closer, until Ella realizes something horrifying . . .

She’s in love with her dead best friend’s boyfriend.

Racked with guilt, Ella turns to Hayley’s journal, hoping she’ll find something in the pages that will make her feel better about what’s happening. Instead, she discovers that Sawyer has secrets of his own and that his relationship with Hayley wasn’t as picture-perfect as it seemed.

Ella knows she should stay away but finds herself inextricably drawn to him—and scared of everything she never knew about him. Perhaps it’s his grief. Or maybe his desires, cut short by tragedy. Or could it be something twisted only Hayley knew about?

Review: Every once in a while I do try to stray outside of my preferred genres to see how the rest of y’all are living. So when the publisher reached out about coverage for this YA thriller, I thought “why the heck not!” I was also drawn in by the promise of an interesting romance between two characters who both lost their close friend/girlfriend. So, let’s dive right in!

The challenging thing about reading outside of my typical genres it that I’m less familiar with the conventions and tropes of this type of book, and thus a bit more unsure when trying to distinguish between my own preferences and opinions and what is simply true to the genre, but not something that I’m as familiar with. That said, there were several things that worked for me unequivocally. The first thing is the sheer “readability” of this book. Even when I was coming across things that left questions in my mind, I still felt a draw to continue reading, swept up in the fast-moving plot and approachable style of storytelling.

On top of that, both Ella and Sawyer were very sympathetic characters, and I enjoyed spending time in both of their heads. Of course, much of the story revolves around their complicated feelings for their deceased friend and their own budding romance, but there were a lot of smaller looks at the different relationships they each have with their parents. Both their experiences with their families and with the various social groups at school were of the sort that I think will greatly appeal to many YA readers.

And, of course, the love story was very sweet. Now, it also walked right up to the line of “instalove,” so that’s something to keep in mind. But, again, the readability of the book carried me through this aspect of the storytelling pretty effectively. Stepping back, I think this love story will appeal to many readers, especially teenagers themselves. As an adult, I will say that I did struggle to believe that a teenage boy was quite as, um, romantically adept as Sawyer was presented, but this is one of those cases where no one really wants a true-to-life portrayal of the awkwardness of the teenage years.

As for the mystery of Haley’s death and the thriller aspects of the book, I did struggle a bit more. There were several “believability” issues that began to pile up as the story continued. For one thing, right off the bat, we are told that Haley died in a car crash when Ella was driving, after being seen drinking at a party. It strains every plausible explanation that Ella walked away from this situation with no consequences. Beyond that, she has many people reassuring her that Haley’s death wasn’t her fault. But…wasn’t it kind of, with this version of events?

I also found some of the late game reveals to be a bit predictable, but this is definitely a “mileage will vary” situation from reader to reader. There were several red herrings presented and their success as such will depend on readers’ familiarity with conventions, likely. There were also chapters from Haley’s old diary interspersed throughout the story, and I really struggled with these. They were written in a way that belied belief, with Haley seeming to be able to recount entire scenes verbatim in these entries. I get the purpose these entries were serving, but the style of writing was so removed from anything that resembled an actual diary entry that I found myself often skimming through these sections.

All of that said, I still had a mostly fun time with this book! It was a fast read, and my interest in Ella and Sawyer’s stories was enough to carry me through some of the other aspects that I struggled with. YA readers who enjoy thrillers and romances will likely enjoy this one!

Rating 7: Some parts of the the mystery were a bit predictable, but I enjoyed the fast-paced storytelling and the sweet romance at its heart.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Everything We Never Said” is on this Goodreads list: YA Novels of 2024

Kate’s Review: “Against the Darkness”

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Book: “Against the Darkness” by Kendare Blake

Publishing Info: Disney Hyperion, April 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: This epic finale to the The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake ( Three Dark Crowns ) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team. Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

Sure, she has her new Scooby Gang, plus the help of her mom, Willow; Watcher, Spike; and even the brooding-but-hot Hunter of Thrace. But even though they have a master plan (obviously), the gang is more fragmented than ever.

So maybe it really is up to Frankie—and Frankie alone—to stand against the darkness. With Jake’s wild werewolf brother back in town, Dark Willow threatening to return, and the Darkness preparing for the final stage of their attack, now is not a great time to wallow in teen angst. After all, she’s the Slayer. It’s time to slay.

Review: Well, I knew that this moment was eventually going to come, and I honestly held off a bit because I was reticent to approach it. But Kendare Blake’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot series is coming to an end, and it closes out with “Against the Darkness”, in which Frankie Rosenberg, Slayer-Witch of Sunnydale, and her new set of Scoobies have to fight against the Big Bad for one final showdown, with supportive former Scoobies Willow, Oz, and Spike in tow as Buffy remains trapped in a hell dimension. I have absolutely adored this interpretation of the “Buffy” characters since the first book, and I was VERY nervous approaching the end. Partially because I am always nervous about the end of a series I am enjoying, but also because so many of these characters are near and dear to my heart, and I wanted them to be okay. I should have trusted Blake, because “Against the Darkness”, for lack of a better word, slays.

As we are closing in on the end of this trilogy, Frankie, Hailey, Jake, Sigmund, and the original Scoobies left behind in Sunnydale are trying to stop rogue slayer Aspen and her group of traitors known as The Darkness, and free Buffy and the other slayers from the hell dimension Aspen trapped them within. Frankie continues to be an utterly charming main character who has the weight of the world on her shoulders, who feels like a fantastic predecessor to Buffy Summers because she has similar challenges, but is her own person without feeling like a clone. Her biggest obstacles this time around are 1) she knows time is running out for Buffy and the slayers all trapped in a hell dimension, especially with Aspen making moves against her, 2) her mother Willow is going to more and more dangerous lengths to try and harness her magic to help Buffy, and 3) her good friend and fellow Scooby Hailey has imbedded herself as a spy by trying to get into Aspen’s good graces… and Aspen is having more of an effect on her than the Scoobies would like. It all feels like an old school “Buffy” end of season arc, and Blake captures the wit, the suspense, the pathos, and the heart that the show had throughout its run. Frankie is so easy to love and so easy to root for, and she is a such a well rounded character that she blends in with familiar faces from the source material swimmingly. I love her relationship with Willow, I LOVE her slayer/watcher relationship with Spike, but I also love her relationships with her friends because it feels so nostalgic.

But once again it’s my OG original favorites who captured my entire heart in this book. Blake really gives me everything I need from the “Buffy” characters from the show. I loved seeing Willow struggle with trying to use her magic to help her daughter as well as Buffy and the other imprisoned slayers, and how it treads her towards her Dark Willow tendencies. I loved how Oz has so effortlessly fit into this story even though he left the show in season four, as Blake makes him a perfect addition to the team not only for his cousin Jake, but also for Willow, his ex and now close friend. I loved seeing Giles show up (yes it’s a spoiler but it’s GILES, I HAD TO!) and take his place as a wise but still a bit snarky Watcher to help pull the group back together when it’s most needed. And, of course, Spike. My beloved Spike has stayed true to his kind of reckless and impulsive sarcastic self, emotions constantly on his sleeve, but his paternal relationship to Frankie is so touching, and brings out so much more in him that shows his caring and loving side that always comes out when most needed. And I don’t want to spoil much here, but Spuffy shippers? THE PAY OFF IS PHENOMENAL. I tried to not be a Spuffy shipper for awhile even though I was hardcore into them in high school, but Kendare Blake has brought me fully back into it because my GOD. THESE TWO.

I just love them so much. (source)

And once again, so many wonderful Easter eggs and references to the source material. Is it fan service? Probably yes. But Blake does do this in a way that flows well within this story so that even if you don’t know that it’s a knowing nod to something from the show it just feels organic and doesn’t stick out awkwardly or like a sore thumb.

What a fantastic end to a very enjoyable series. “Against the Darkness” sticks the landing, does justice for all the Scoobies, old and new, and gave this “Buffy” fan an ending that I will happily revisit over and over again. That’ll put the marzipan back in your pie plates, bingo, indeed. If you know, you know.

Rating 10: A fantastic and super satisfying ending to a “Buffy” follow up I have adored from the start.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Against the Darkness” is included on the Goodreads lists “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and “YA hunting ghosts/monsters/zombies”.

Previously Reviewed:

Serena’s Review: “Twelfth Knight”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Twelfth Knight” by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Publishing Info: Tor Teen, May 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Viola Reyes is annoyed.

Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself.

But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched.

As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realise they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline…

Review: I knew this one would be a bit out of my wheelhouse when I requested it, but as I’ve seemed to move into also covering the romance genre to some extent on this blog, and the fact that I’ve loved this author’s fantasy work (she also writes under the name Olivie Blake), I thought it was worth a shot! Plus, this is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, so I was excited to see it re-imagined into a contemporary setting. Plus, plus, I really loved playing “Baldur’s Gate” which is essentially video-game DnD, so I was definitely interested in a story that focused on this type of gaming.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite land the way I wanted it to. But let’s start with some of the positives. And for me, that largely comes down to the male lead character, Jack. I thought it story was really well done, following the tragic but hopeful arc of a young man who was a rising football star before he suffered a debilitating injury. I thought the exploration of this topic was so well done: the upheavals of identity, the loss of purpose and floundering to find direction, the very real mourning for a life that will now not happen. It was all very touching and well done.

There were also elements of the romance I liked, especially the fact that it came across as believable and relatable. All too often, romcoms seem to get caught up in overly complicated “meet cutes” and then a “paint by numbers” style conflict/resolution in the third act. This one hits many of the expected notes, but I think one of this author’s strong suits has been her dialogue, and with this book, the very natural, realistic dialogue helped ground the love story in a way that I appreciated. That said, I was surprised to see the romance essentially take a back seat to some of the gaming stuff for the first half of the story. And, even for me, someone who enjoys gaming quite a bit, this was frustrating. Not only did I pick this one up first and foremost for the romance, not the gaming, but it also forced the actual love story to have to go through all of the stages in a rather short period of time in the second half of the book.

I also struggled to enjoy Viola. And this made for a complicated reading experience, because on one hand, her anger is justified and much of her arc is her learning how to lower her shields, even when she’s been hurt in the past. But on the other hand, even if some of her anger is earned, she was also incredibly unlikable for much of the first half of the story. And as much as my brain could understand this, especially the fact that she is a teenage character which makes all of these big emotions even harder to wrangle, the rest of me was so often annoyed at her that I struggled to enjoy her. I had to keep stopping and essentially explaining to myself why she behaved the way she did, but…having to give yourself a pep talk about enjoying a book doesn’t make for, well, enjoyment.

Overall, this was kind of a “meh” read for me. There were elements that I liked, but there were enough issues with the pacing of the love story and the likability of one of the lead characters that left me feeling rather cold on the story by the end. Fans of YA contemporary romance might still want to give this one a shot, however, as the author’s quippy dialogue is still as fun as ever! Plus, there’s a nice little barb launched at the “Game of Thrones” finale towards the end of the book. Always love to see it.

Rating 7: Just ok. I thought the book touched on some important themes, but the love story felt oddly paced and I struggled to like Viola as a character.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Twelfth” can be found on this Goodreads list: YA Novels of 2024