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aliciasrealm's reviews
431 reviews
Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef
4.5
Once There Was is a magical story with themes of grief, family, and friendship, that weaves in legends of mythical creatures such as griffins, manticores, and unicorns.
Marjan is a great protagonist and I liked her a lot. Though she is a high school sophomore she navigates life following her father's death with impressive maturity. Marjan's expression of her grief manifests more as anger than sadness and it was heartbreaking to finally understand why she feels that way.
The premise is intriguing, and while investigating her father's murder Marjan uncovers secrets and gets tangled up with a shady organization. Marjan's work introduces her to people with questionable motives, and at times she must ally with people she can't trust.
Friendship plays an important role, with some new friends who help Marjan cope with the discovery of her father's legacy as well as school friends who offer her some normalcy. The story also touches on Marjan's complicated feelings surrounding her Iranian American heritage.
In between Marjan's POV chapters, there are stories about legendary creatures like the nine tailed fox and unicorns, stories that weave beautifully into her narrative. I enjoyed the different creatures that she encounters throughout the story.
Overall, this story has more of a darker tone and, despite some lighter moments, it's not a cozy read. As Marjan takes over veterinarian duties, she cares for mythical creatures that are injured, mistreated, or in distress. There are dangerous and sometimes deadly situations. I appreciated that there were real stakes which made me all the more invested in this story.
The target age range seems to be somewhere between Upper Middle Grade and Young Adult, but even as a reader in my thirties I loved this story!
Marjan is a great protagonist and I liked her a lot. Though she is a high school sophomore she navigates life following her father's death with impressive maturity. Marjan's expression of her grief manifests more as anger than sadness and it was heartbreaking to finally understand why she feels that way.
The premise is intriguing, and while investigating her father's murder Marjan uncovers secrets and gets tangled up with a shady organization. Marjan's work introduces her to people with questionable motives, and at times she must ally with people she can't trust.
Friendship plays an important role, with some new friends who help Marjan cope with the discovery of her father's legacy as well as school friends who offer her some normalcy. The story also touches on Marjan's complicated feelings surrounding her Iranian American heritage.
In between Marjan's POV chapters, there are stories about legendary creatures like the nine tailed fox and unicorns, stories that weave beautifully into her narrative. I enjoyed the different creatures that she encounters throughout the story.
Overall, this story has more of a darker tone and, despite some lighter moments, it's not a cozy read. As Marjan takes over veterinarian duties, she cares for mythical creatures that are injured, mistreated, or in distress. There are dangerous and sometimes deadly situations. I appreciated that there were real stakes which made me all the more invested in this story.
The target age range seems to be somewhere between Upper Middle Grade and Young Adult, but even as a reader in my thirties I loved this story!
Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi
2.0
This was unfortunately a huge disappointment after the first two books. I am sorry to admit that I started skimming through this book just to get to the end. This was so disconnected from the previous books and did not feel like it should have been a part of this trilogy. A character that I fell in love with in the last book completely disappeared in this book without explanation. I feel awful rating this book so low but almost everything came out of left field and threw me into a whole new storyline that wasn't even foreshadowed in the first two books. I don't even know what to think, I felt very confused reading this book.
The Hero Twins and the Magic of Song by David Bowles
4.0
This retelling of a Mesoamerican mythology was fun and engaging, with plenty of laughs. The guide with character names and descriptions is a great reference. The illustrations are expressive, each character is distinctive, and the style is very appealing to me. The story is easy to follow, the text is easy to read, and the panels have an intuitive layout. The story relies mostly on its text narrative (there are very few panels without text) while the illustrations are a supplement, mostly used to visually show what is described in the text. Overall, I really enjoyed this short graphic novel and think middle graders would enjoy both the story and illustrations.
Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez
5.0
This is a fun and relatable middle grade story that deals with grief, friendship, and communication, incorporating magical realism and humor.
Lola is so caught up in her own worries that she doesn't always see that others are struggling too, and throughout the story she learns to communicate and help others overcome their challenges. She has to navigate her jealousy over evolving friendships and learn how to be a friend to someone she always considered her nemesis.
Lola's story reminded me so much of my own childhood when I lost my grandma at ten years old. I remember seeing my mom struggling and feeling just like Lola did. I'm sure other older readers as well as middle schoolers will enjoy this book as much as I did.
Quote: "You cannot do and take whatever you want to make yourself feel better Your worries are no more important than anyone else's!"
I received a review copy of this book from the author.
Lola is so caught up in her own worries that she doesn't always see that others are struggling too, and throughout the story she learns to communicate and help others overcome their challenges. She has to navigate her jealousy over evolving friendships and learn how to be a friend to someone she always considered her nemesis.
Lola's story reminded me so much of my own childhood when I lost my grandma at ten years old. I remember seeing my mom struggling and feeling just like Lola did. I'm sure other older readers as well as middle schoolers will enjoy this book as much as I did.
Quote: "You cannot do and take whatever you want to make yourself feel better Your worries are no more important than anyone else's!"
I received a review copy of this book from the author.
Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift
4.0
Dual POV, arranged marriage, a rivalry, and mistaken identities - this book is such a fun young adult read! The world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, presenting in aspects such as clothes, food, and the words used to cast spells.*
I loved the investigation aspect, which had Adraa and Jatin reluctantly teaming up to find out who is stealing firelight. The writing is engaging with modern dialogue and the bickering between Adraa and Jatin is quite entertaining. The magic system is interesting, especially how it affects Adraa, and I loved all the cool spells and different fortes.
Adraa is a great character; she has agency, she's tough, and she cares about her people. Jatin is an excellent match for her and I love them as a couple! I'm excited to read the next book.
*While the world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, the Author's Note indicates that this is not an OwnVoices story.
I loved the investigation aspect, which had Adraa and Jatin reluctantly teaming up to find out who is stealing firelight. The writing is engaging with modern dialogue and the bickering between Adraa and Jatin is quite entertaining. The magic system is interesting, especially how it affects Adraa, and I loved all the cool spells and different fortes.
Adraa is a great character; she has agency, she's tough, and she cares about her people. Jatin is an excellent match for her and I love them as a couple! I'm excited to read the next book.
*While the world draws inspiration from Indian/South Asian culture, the Author's Note indicates that this is not an OwnVoices story.