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crlyhairedbibliophile's reviews
138 reviews
You're Breaking my Heart by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.
What a beautiful love letter to Blackness this was!! 😍🤎
I listened to and watched Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.’s spoken word for this poem when news of this picture book crossed my radar and immediately fell in love. To hear a phrase that I’d remembered being used as an insult be reframed in a way that not only lifts Black skin in a positive light but also celebrates all of the beauty of Blackness itself completely warmed my heart. Keeping that playing in my mind while I read, I loved having these words in writing and seeing them accompanied by London Ladd’s equally beautiful illustrations, each page a piece of art work perfect for the wall.
I feel as if I say this for every title I share with Black faces at the forefront, but I really wish something like this was on the shelf when I was younger and having a difficult relationship with the color of my skin. That being said, I can’t wait to get a copy for my own personal library AND one to share with the minis I work with. This is such a beautiful reminder of the fullness of the Black community, from the work of our ancestors to the endless possibilities of our future and I’m extremely grateful it fell in my lap to read and experience.
🌟 FAVORITE GEMS 🌟
🤎 “Black is adjective, adverb, color and noun.”
🤎 “Black is not something we get to choose, but it is something we get to cherish.”
🤎 “Black is melanized and magic.”
Special thanks again to Hear Our Voices Tours & Simon Kids!
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
5.0
“Black and beautiful, Black and blessed. Black and so much more, Black and nothing less.”
What a beautiful love letter to Blackness this was!! 😍🤎
I listened to and watched Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.’s spoken word for this poem when news of this picture book crossed my radar and immediately fell in love. To hear a phrase that I’d remembered being used as an insult be reframed in a way that not only lifts Black skin in a positive light but also celebrates all of the beauty of Blackness itself completely warmed my heart. Keeping that playing in my mind while I read, I loved having these words in writing and seeing them accompanied by London Ladd’s equally beautiful illustrations, each page a piece of art work perfect for the wall.
I feel as if I say this for every title I share with Black faces at the forefront, but I really wish something like this was on the shelf when I was younger and having a difficult relationship with the color of my skin. That being said, I can’t wait to get a copy for my own personal library AND one to share with the minis I work with. This is such a beautiful reminder of the fullness of the Black community, from the work of our ancestors to the endless possibilities of our future and I’m extremely grateful it fell in my lap to read and experience.
🌟 FAVORITE GEMS 🌟
🤎 “Black is adjective, adverb, color and noun.”
🤎 “Black is not something we get to choose, but it is something we get to cherish.”
🤎 “Black is melanized and magic.”
Special thanks again to Hear Our Voices Tours & Simon Kids!
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Maps are one of my favorite parts of fantasy novels, but I’m not that familiar with the cartography world. That being said, the idea of a mystery surrounding magical maps had me intrigued and I knew this would be an interesting journey to go on.
The first aspect of this story I gravitated towards was the writing. There are so many places where the atmosphere leapt off the page that it felt as if I could actually go there from the pictures they placed in my mind. The details of all the spaces, from Ramona’s shop and the Map Division of the NYPL to the layout of Agloe were so vivid and really helped bring the story to life. I also really liked the placement of the flashbacks. Not only did they give accounts from different perspectives, but the slices of information dropped in each one helped put together missing pieces, which I love.
Along with the atmosphere, I also liked following these characters and the overarching mystery surrounding this map.
Some felt a little more fleshed out than most due to time spent with them, but having those flashbacks definitely helped build them up and made their found family believable. There were parts that kept me guessing and a few I was able to grasp on my own, but I thought the timing and placement of things within the pages was really well done.
Overall I really enjoyed this journey and have a bigger appreciation for cartography and the map world.
[BONUS THOUGHT: I need someone to actually make an edition of the original Dreamer’s Atlas - it sounds AMAZING! 😍]
Special thanks again to William Morrow Books for the gifted copy!
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Maps were love letters to times and places their makers had explored. They did not control the territory - they told its stories.”
Maps are one of my favorite parts of fantasy novels, but I’m not that familiar with the cartography world. That being said, the idea of a mystery surrounding magical maps had me intrigued and I knew this would be an interesting journey to go on.
The first aspect of this story I gravitated towards was the writing. There are so many places where the atmosphere leapt off the page that it felt as if I could actually go there from the pictures they placed in my mind. The details of all the spaces, from Ramona’s shop and the Map Division of the NYPL to the layout of Agloe were so vivid and really helped bring the story to life. I also really liked the placement of the flashbacks. Not only did they give accounts from different perspectives, but the slices of information dropped in each one helped put together missing pieces, which I love.
Along with the atmosphere, I also liked following these characters and the overarching mystery surrounding this map.
Some felt a little more fleshed out than most due to time spent with them, but having those flashbacks definitely helped build them up and made their found family believable. There were parts that kept me guessing and a few I was able to grasp on my own, but I thought the timing and placement of things within the pages was really well done.
Overall I really enjoyed this journey and have a bigger appreciation for cartography and the map world.
[BONUS THOUGHT: I need someone to actually make an edition of the original Dreamer’s Atlas - it sounds AMAZING! 😍]
Special thanks again to William Morrow Books for the gifted copy!