bookish_afrolatina's reviews
423 reviews

The Windweaver's Storm by Antoine Bandele

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler by Ibi Zoboi

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hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Star Child is a fantastic genre-bending book for introducing young people to Octavia E. Butler’s life and works!

I loved reading Butler’s quotes and seeing copies of her actual writing in these pages. Every time I read one of her books, I’m inspired to learn more about her life and understand her mind. Yes, I could just read her Wikipedia page but this was so much better!

In between the stories and quotes, Ibi Zoboi brought creativity, flow, and imagination to Butler’s life with poetry.

This book would be an amazing addition to every library and school!

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A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the first book in the Las Leonas Series. Luz Alana is the heiress to a rum empire originating in Dominican Republic. Her father started running the company when her mother passed away, but now he’s gone, too. Luz thought her father would leave the company to her, but instead, she finds out that he entrusted the company’s management to a man, planned for her to promote the rum in Europe, and that her inheritance will be in the hands of a Trustee in his homeland of Scotland unless she gain’s his permission to access it OR she get’s married.

She’s got a lot riding against her as a mixed-race woman in 1880s Europe and her little sister Clarita’s future is in her hands.

James is the Earl of Darnick is also in the business of spirits. Passionate about his whiskey company, the Earl is determined to preserve it despite his shady ass father’s dealings. He’s so focused on taking his father down and successfully running his business, that love is that last thing he wants.

Naturally, these two practical minded people bump heads in Paris during the 1889 Exposition.

The chemistry between these two is *chef’s kiss*! I’m a fan of rivals and/or enemies to lovers so I realllllly enjoyed the tension. Both of these characters are really good people and easy to love. This is a historical romance, but these two are very forward thinking. Instead of writing about people who fell into the common beliefs of the day, Herrera follows the paths of people who are thinking critically about what they stand for.

This book also had incredible racial and ethnic diversity for a historical romance. The side characters were just as interesting as the leads so I’m super excited to read the other Leonas love stories!

This book comes out on the 31st, so y’all need to preorder or prepare to request this book from your library!

Content Warnings: Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Violence

Content Warnings

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Looking for a short steamy read with a delicious holiday twist? This is it!

Description: "Kiskeya Burgos left the tropical beaches of the Dominican Republic with a lot to prove. As a pastry chef on the come up, when she arrives in Scotland, she has one goal in mind: win the Holiday Baking Challenge. Winning is her opportunity to prove to her family, her former boss, and most importantly herself, she can make it in the culinary world. Kiskeya will stop at nothing to win, that is, if she can keep her eyes on the prize and off her infuriating teammate's perfect lips.
Sully Morales, home cooking hustler, and self-proclaimed baking brujita lands in Scotland on a quest to find her purpose after spending years as her family’s caregiver. But now, with her home life back on track, it's time for Sully to get reacquainted with her greatest love, baking. Winning the Holiday Baking Challenge is a no brainer if she can convince her grumpy AF baking partner that they make a great team both in and out of the kitchen before an unexpected betrayal ends their chance to attain culinary competition glory."- Adriana Herrera

Review: Herrera describes Mangos & Mistletoe as "A Foodie Holiday Novella," and if that's not enticing, then I don't know what is! From the names to the expressions, I felt wrapped in my Caribbean-Latine culture. Kiskeya and Sully's tension was palpable from the start. I liked the grumpy and sweet romance trope, but this one took a while to get into because the narrator's voice made Kiskeya seem disdainful and that turned me off. When I switched to the e-book, it was easier to get into this story.

The sex scenes in this book were vivid!! Herrera was not playing around. Fans of risky scenes will enjoy it. Please note that the epilogue begins like no other! HA!

Amor Actually by Adriana Herrera, Sabrina Sol, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Alexis Daria, Zoey Castile

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Representation: Latinx (Afro, Indigenous, & white), LGBTQ+/Queer (Sapphic, Bisexual, Poly, MLM), Sex work/Adult Films, Divorce, Widows

Sexy, relatable, & heart-warming! I love the representations of different sexualities (bisexual, lesbian, queer), relationships (couples, polyamory [specifically, throuples], divorced, widows, age gaps), & various kinds of Latinx folx: Dominican, Mexican, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Chilean, Ecuadorian & more. The authors made sure that the characters also varied racially with some characters being AfroLatinx, Indigenous, white, &/or mixed.

While most of the stories were pretty explicit, the ones by Sabrina Sol & Priscilla Oliveras are great for readers who like more tame romances. As all of the characters were lovable, it's hard for me to pick a favorite story out. I wasn't sure what to expect as I'm used to my family being a mixture of open & closed-minded people. I'm glad that this book utilized the "found family" trope in order to avoid the kind of trauma or hostility many queer & black sheep face when returning home for the holidays. The only thing that annoyed me in the book was the librarian repeatedly shushing patrons. To most people, this is probably silly because this is how librarians have been portrayed for a long time. Nowadays, we are aware of the shift in our communities & their needs so our spaces have become more about fostering that, facilitating research, & programming, than it is about silence & reading books. This isn't a huge hangup, it just distracted me from the story a bit.

I highly recommend this anthology to folks looking for Latinx and queer representation in their romance books!

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

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adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really wanted to like this book. Growing up, I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt so when I read the first book in this duology, I paid no mind to Ines’s naïveté. After all, this is a YA book and Ines was a bit pampered growing up. What frustrated me was the fact that she never seemed to learn from her mistakes despite one of them being fatal. She continued to trust just about everyone without suspicion.
I also couldn’t understand her supposed chemistry with Whit. In book 1, their relationship was almost entirely based on his frustration with trying to keep her safe while Ines dove head first into danger. So it was a surprise to me that these two could see one another as “the love of” their lives. Whit almost seemed to be a different person.
Overall, the story has a steady pace and interesting plot but I wasn’t a fan of Ines’s blind trust and how many “twists.” At times, it felt cliche and somewhat comical.
I don’t think I’d recommend this book widely. It’s an entertaining duology but just not for me.

The Gatekeeper's Staff by Antoine Bandele

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adventurous dark hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Gatekeeper’s Staff is a heartwarming yet action-packed YA Fantasy championing late-bloomers. I love stories taking place in and around magic schools so this series was right up my alley.

TJ Young is such a sweet and earnest kid, which made me feel invested in his journey. I felt his pain as he navigated the loss of his sister and struggles fitting in at school. Being a nerdy Black boy is rough! TJ feels like a disappointment to everyone around him, which is pretty common for teens who are late-bloomers.

I love the themes of teamwork, honesty, connection to nature, and dedication throughout the book. It was also super cool to have a story that follows someone who is Nigerian-American. I love learning about other cultures through books like this and I know there’s been a trend in the U.S. of connecting Black Fantasy to Yoruba-inspired religions. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job capturing the different accents and the audiobook also had really cool sound effects at the beginning of every chapter.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone!!

Thank you to Antoine Bandele for the listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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A lot of people recommended this book on Instagram but, since I often ignore hype around books in case it's overrated, I didn't start reading it until this month. I regret waiting so long.

Legendborn is a subversive fantasy book. Deonn meticulously connects her fascination with Arthurian legends, knowledge of UNC-Chapel Hill's history, African American history, spiritual traditions (rootwork), and her lived experiences with grief, anger, and Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) in this young adult book. There is so much power in it.

When I began reading Legendborn, the pain of the story made it hard for me to fully let myself live within it. I have been dealing with grief from losing both of my maternal grandparents within the past year. I felt like they connected me to my roots and ancestors, so far, unknown. Once I allowed myself to let the story wash over me, I was able to enjoy it. About 1/3 of the way into the book, I felt connected to it.

"To be able to trace one's family back that far is something I have never fathomed...Where is our Wall? A Wall that doesn't make me feel lost, but found...Instead of awe, I feel...cheated."

Bree's involvement in the Order worried me for a few reasons. Would this book be focused on European magic like most YA Fantasy? Do readers only like this book because the Black lead is still predominately interacting with a white magical realm? I hoped that Legendborn would be validating to Black and African-American folks. It is.

Once Deonn introduced rootcraft and more of Bree's ancestral stories, I felt relief and comfort. I'd always wanted to be connected to tales of magic when I was younger and this book gave that to me, just like Children of Blood and Bone did and just like Witches Steeped in Gold did. I love that our magic comes from our ancestors, a sort of ancestral gift or memory, in these books.

The idea that folks could simply be born with or without magic used to appeal to me but I've grown to find it lacking in depth. Why do some have magic and some don't? How exactly did their families get it? What is the point of it? To do quick charms for everyday things? Magic within these books has more of a purpose. Rootcraft is directly tied to nature and our ancestors. One cannot take without giving and opening oneself up to ancestral memory.

Something else I've noticed about the newer Fantasy books by Black women authors, specifically, is how they allow us to be vulnerable AND angry without those things becoming our downfall. In the real world, it feels as though being angry and vulnerable are too dangerous. In Legendborn, Bree's anger can be dangerous, but it is also a gift. It is pent up from years of ancestral trauma and resilience. She is not demonized for it in the way that many Black folks are. There's no tone police. Bree has space to express her grief, exhaustion, disappointment, and learns to channel her fury into power.

Deonn wrote a book that will sit with me for some time. I anticipate wanting to reread this book and the one(s) that follow whenever I want to escape and feel validated. Although the topics addressed within it are heavy, it left me feeling empowered rather than drained. She addresses a common feeling of pain, frustration, and loneliness that many African Americans have felt in this country due to the constant erasure and invalidation of our experiences, contributions, and resilience despite being oppressed.

Verdict:

I recommend this book to everyone. Whether you are a fan of Fantasy or not, Legendborn is a hit. It may be most appropriate for kids from 5th grade and up, but may be just fine for younger children with emotional maturity or experience with grief.

While I don't think every Fantasy book has to be compared to Harry Potter, I will say that one of my first thoughts once I finished Legendborn was that J.K. Rowling cannot compete with Tracy Deonn's depth. I felt a flash of the same excitement that I felt while reading Harry Potter as a child but this time it feels closer and more intimate.

Thank you to everyone who recommended this book and brought it to the forefront. I'm gonna be talking about it until the next one comes out!

Content Warnings

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I read Legendborn in 2021 & loved it so book two was on my radar & I planned to read it right when it came out but couldn't connect the way I wanted to. I'm glad I decided to pick it back up when the right mood hit me, which happened last week!

Is it just me or is the font hella small on this book?! I ended up sticking to the audiobook because of that & still really enjoyed it.

For me, this book was a 4.5 star rating because Deonn gave most of what I was hoping she would:

- More root craft

- More connection with the ancestors

- Engaging with how exhausting and unhealthy embodying "Black Girl Magic" can be.

- Thinking critically about these prestigious institutions & societies that BIPOC are supposed to be grateful to be allowed a part in.

These are the elements from the first book that I really wanted explored more because I didn't care as much about the Arthurian background. (It screamed "white supremacy" to me from the beginning.)

I think Deonn did an amazing job in showing the way that Bree's "strength" & "resilience" became detrimental to her as a Black girl. It was extremely relatable. I'm not sure that white folks & some other BIPOC realize how much pressure there is for Black women & girls to be "excellent" or risk being nothing at all. We feel the pressure to persevere because just about every system is working against us and our ancestors worked so hard that we are afraid to seem as though we don't appreciate their struggles. Meanwhile, we push so hard that we don't feel like we can take the time to rest or like anyone will protect us if we do. So we end up tired & hurt in an effort to continue to live up to expectations & receive love/praise.

If you read this book or plan to, please read the author's note because it is so very important!!

As many of my bookish friends on here know, I'm not really crazy about Bree's connections to Sel & Nick but I understand why they are part of this story. I just don't feel like they all have much in common outside of shared trauma aka the Order.

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The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family by Kerri K. Greenidge

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.75

The Grimkes is a fantastic and accessible historical profile on a prominent American family with a dark past! I began reading this book after attending an event where the author spoke about her work & felt compelled to finally read the book that has been on my tbr since it came out in 2023.

I loved the way Greenidge's writing dove into this history through storytelling. The book opens with Angelina "Nana" Weld Grimke riding a train to Boston which crashed during an oppressive heat wave and the subsequent gossip that followed due to the fact that she was wearing less clothing than her class deemed respectable when she was found in the wreckage.

Unlike many other books on the Grimkes, this one depicts the family members, white and Black, as nuanced people who simultaneously fought for abolition while upholding white supremacist culture. I appreciated this a lot because I believe it’s best to share the complicated truths of History. The story of the Grimkes is one of enslavement, violence, anti-Blackness, abolition, women’s suffrage, colonialism, colorism, racism, queerness, homophobia, classism, and generational trauma. No one is a hero! Thanks to this approach, I could reflect on the ways in which silence around past suffering usually leads to the next generations inheriting that pain as well as confusion and dishonesty that stems from being disconnected from the truth of their past.

Notes: At times, the narrative confused me because it isn’t entirely chronological and the Black side of the family had some of the same or similar names as the white side. I realized that I needed a visual aid to help me keep all of the family members straight despite the cast of characters being listed in the beginning, so I created a sort of family tree/chart. I recommend y'all use the print book (whether you buy it or borrow it) to guide you, too!

Content Warnings

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bookish_afrolatina's reviews 423 reviews

bookish_afrolatina's reviews
423 reviews