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jessmarticorena's reviews
270 reviews
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
adventurous
mysterious
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
5.0
This was pitched to me as "The Mummy" meets "Death on the Nile," and I was immediately sold!
In Buenos Aires, Inez Olivera is a society girl, living with her aunt and cousins - left behind by parents who are always drawn back to Egypt. When news of her parents' tragic deaths arrive, Inez is filled with questions and determined to fins the answers. Sailing to Cairo to find the tío that has become her mysterious guardian -an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law -, Inez sets off with little more than the golden ring her father gave her and her sketchbook. But when she arrives in Cairo, the old-word magic of her golden ring and the questions around her parent's disappearances leave her with more questions.
"With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her."
I cannot describe how much I loved this book. Everything about it is refreshingly unique and perfectly balances the mystery and the magic of the world. Every character is wonderfully complex, and the twists and turns of the story will leave you guessing at every turn.
Out main character, Inez, is passionate, strong-willed, courageous, and not afraid of vulnerability. You root for and admire her at every turn. She was so full of life that she practically jumped off of the page. And the infuriately handsome assistant, Whit, was a perfect compliment to her - guarded, but tender, with a lot of backstory that I hope we get to explore so much more in further books. Their banter had me laughing out loud at points. Their tension and push-and-pull romantic tension was EVERYTHING I needed.
The setting and atmosphere was stunning. Ibañez describes each site in Egypt with engaging and awe-inspiring detail. She captures the wonder of archaeology and the featured historical sites with respect and wonder, and I was itching to be there with the characters in their dig site camp.
The plot had me guessing at every turn. There is so much happening behind the scenes that slowly and perfectly gets revealed as the novel progresses. And every time Ibañez laid another card on the table, I was GASPING! The story was deliciously mysterious. The twists and turns were perfectly paced and left me turning page after page until I reached the end.
And speaking of the end ...
I won't go into spoilers, but I will say that I needed to read it twice, both times with my jaw on the floor.
This is one of my new favorite books. It's full of magic, adventure, romance, banter, and the awe of (anti-colonial) archaeology.
In Buenos Aires, Inez Olivera is a society girl, living with her aunt and cousins - left behind by parents who are always drawn back to Egypt. When news of her parents' tragic deaths arrive, Inez is filled with questions and determined to fins the answers. Sailing to Cairo to find the tío that has become her mysterious guardian -an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law -, Inez sets off with little more than the golden ring her father gave her and her sketchbook. But when she arrives in Cairo, the old-word magic of her golden ring and the questions around her parent's disappearances leave her with more questions.
"With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her."
I cannot describe how much I loved this book. Everything about it is refreshingly unique and perfectly balances the mystery and the magic of the world. Every character is wonderfully complex, and the twists and turns of the story will leave you guessing at every turn.
Out main character, Inez, is passionate, strong-willed, courageous, and not afraid of vulnerability. You root for and admire her at every turn. She was so full of life that she practically jumped off of the page. And the infuriately handsome assistant, Whit, was a perfect compliment to her - guarded, but tender, with a lot of backstory that I hope we get to explore so much more in further books. Their banter had me laughing out loud at points. Their tension and push-and-pull romantic tension was EVERYTHING I needed.
The setting and atmosphere was stunning. Ibañez describes each site in Egypt with engaging and awe-inspiring detail. She captures the wonder of archaeology and the featured historical sites with respect and wonder, and I was itching to be there with the characters in their dig site camp.
The plot had me guessing at every turn. There is so much happening behind the scenes that slowly and perfectly gets revealed as the novel progresses. And every time Ibañez laid another card on the table, I was GASPING! The story was deliciously mysterious. The twists and turns were perfectly paced and left me turning page after page until I reached the end.
And speaking of the end ...
I won't go into spoilers, but I will say that I needed to read it twice, both times with my jaw on the floor.
This is one of my new favorite books. It's full of magic, adventure, romance, banter, and the awe of (anti-colonial) archaeology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Death of parent
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a heavy, dark read. The characters are complicated and not altogether lovable, but individuals that you root for nonetheless. I admire the complexity of Marlinchen and the harshness and honesty of the narrative. This entire book is a twisted fairytale. There are frequent mentions of abuse and being in the mind of Marlinchen may be triggering for some people. I enjoyed the book, but it was just too heavy of a read for me at the time I read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed this book - incredibly complicated and diverse cast of characters. I just don't think that retellings are my thing. This was so fun to listen to on audio :)
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As a Rachel Griffin book fanatic, I could not put this book down. This was sold to me as an atmospheric story full of forbidden love (which it had in abundance <3), but the most impactful part to me was the theme of Tana finding her own future.
Tana has had her destiny laid out for her since she was a young child. She was going to wed the governor's son and protect her island, the only safe haven for witches. In a world that fears witches and their magic, an alliance between the mainland and the Witchery would open up resources and protections that hadn't been afforded to the island since the witches had been persecuted and banned from the mainland. Tana feels bound by duty to her island and community to do this for them. But when she meets a boy on the beach at midnight, everything changes. Suddenly, Tana finds herself torn between dark magic and low magic, love and duty.
I loved so much about this book. Tana is an incredibly relatable character who is lost within herself, trying to understand who she is separate from all of the expectations that have been put on her. My favorite part about her self discovery was that she had so internalized others' expectations of her that she couldn't figure out where their wants stopped and her own began. All of the confusion and constant negative self-talk felt relatable in a way that was so unique. In her mind, she owed so much to so many that she felt she had to apologize for being herself. Her growth journey was incredible to follow and had me tearing up at multiple points. Rachel Griffin always manages to nail mental health in such relatable ways, and it makes me so happy to have these characters to relate to and grow with.
Another strong point was most of the relationships! I was crying over Tana and her best friend Ivy (Tana refers to Ivy as her soulmate <3), and I love the relationship between Tana and her dad. I love seeing present parents in YA books!
I know that it's an unpopular opinion, but I didn't love the romance in this... I felt that it was very insta-love and the intensity happened way too quickly, so it was hard for me to believe. Which is a shame because I was obsessed with the romance subplots in Griffin's first two books! Overall, it just felt a little unbelievable to me, and I wished that we could have seen a lot more building up of their relationship instead of being told about it or having it instantly get intense. My only other complaint is the world-building. I felt like the Witchery and the mainland were on their own little planet, and I was confused about if the world was contemporary or historical. I would have loved more depth into the rest of earth in this fantasy world. But those two things are my ONLY complaints!
Overall, I loved this book. Rachel Griffin creates compelling characters with complicated inner worlds and a healthy dose of witches. And I always love how significant saving the environment is in each other novels. A+ to Rachel Griffin for major themes of mental illness/unique mental health difficulties and saving out planet! I recommend this and her backlist <3
4.5 rounded up
Tana has had her destiny laid out for her since she was a young child. She was going to wed the governor's son and protect her island, the only safe haven for witches. In a world that fears witches and their magic, an alliance between the mainland and the Witchery would open up resources and protections that hadn't been afforded to the island since the witches had been persecuted and banned from the mainland. Tana feels bound by duty to her island and community to do this for them. But when she meets a boy on the beach at midnight, everything changes. Suddenly, Tana finds herself torn between dark magic and low magic, love and duty.
I loved so much about this book. Tana is an incredibly relatable character who is lost within herself, trying to understand who she is separate from all of the expectations that have been put on her. My favorite part about her self discovery was that she had so internalized others' expectations of her that she couldn't figure out where their wants stopped and her own began. All of the confusion and constant negative self-talk felt relatable in a way that was so unique. In her mind, she owed so much to so many that she felt she had to apologize for being herself. Her growth journey was incredible to follow and had me tearing up at multiple points. Rachel Griffin always manages to nail mental health in such relatable ways, and it makes me so happy to have these characters to relate to and grow with.
Another strong point was most of the relationships! I was crying over Tana and her best friend Ivy (Tana refers to Ivy as her soulmate <3), and I love the relationship between Tana and her dad. I love seeing present parents in YA books!
I know that it's an unpopular opinion, but I didn't love the romance in this... I felt that it was very insta-love and the intensity happened way too quickly, so it was hard for me to believe. Which is a shame because I was obsessed with the romance subplots in Griffin's first two books! Overall, it just felt a little unbelievable to me, and I wished that we could have seen a lot more building up of their relationship instead of being told about it or having it instantly get intense. My only other complaint is the world-building. I felt like the Witchery and the mainland were on their own little planet, and I was confused about if the world was contemporary or historical. I would have loved more depth into the rest of earth in this fantasy world. But those two things are my ONLY complaints!
Overall, I loved this book. Rachel Griffin creates compelling characters with complicated inner worlds and a healthy dose of witches. And I always love how significant saving the environment is in each other novels. A+ to Rachel Griffin for major themes of mental illness/unique mental health difficulties and saving out planet! I recommend this and her backlist <3
4.5 rounded up
The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
Hylee Williams doesn’t know why she can disappear, only that when she does, she’s thrust into a dark, rotting version of the night that has defined most of her life: the night someone violently broke into her house and her brother went missing.
She’s convinced that this terrifying place is the key to understanding what happened to her brother, but she can’t seem to stay in that other place long enough to get the answers.
When she meets Eilam Roads, he seems all too familiar despite having never met. And when she disappears right in front of him, she has two options - lie or reveal her secret. “Together, Hylee and Eilam investigate the truth about time, space, and reality, with Hylee increasingly convinced her time travel holds the key to saving her brother. But the more they learn, the more Hylee begins to see darkness lurking in her world--and in herself.”
This book was stunningly creepy, and I could feel The Dark Place lurking on every page. There were so many things that I loved about this book.
The horror time travel element was so unique and effective and allowed us to really see all of these parts of Hylee and her internal world. It served so well to explore Hylee’s grief and processing of her trauma. I loved the bit of romance that develops (we all love to see a grounded, stable, positive love interest!!). Eilam is my favorite. And it’s so refreshing to read teenagers that actually act like teenagers! Britney Lewis does an incredible job at creating characters that make teenage decisions and say teenage things realistically, and I think that this book is going to be so important and meaningful in the hands of teens who need it.
In addition to the horror and time travel plot, we get complicated familial relationships, friendships, and Hylee’s own journey of grief.
I really enjoyed the end wherewe see how the closure of her brother's death allowed for a future where Hylee and her family healed together. I love to see our characters get the ending that they needed.
This is a wonderfully spooky book about coming to terms with the things we can't change and the ways that the past can fester and haunt us.
I devoured this in a single day and enjoyed every page.
Thank you Britney Lewis, NetGalley, and Disney Hyperion for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review!
She’s convinced that this terrifying place is the key to understanding what happened to her brother, but she can’t seem to stay in that other place long enough to get the answers.
When she meets Eilam Roads, he seems all too familiar despite having never met. And when she disappears right in front of him, she has two options - lie or reveal her secret. “Together, Hylee and Eilam investigate the truth about time, space, and reality, with Hylee increasingly convinced her time travel holds the key to saving her brother. But the more they learn, the more Hylee begins to see darkness lurking in her world--and in herself.”
This book was stunningly creepy, and I could feel The Dark Place lurking on every page. There were so many things that I loved about this book.
The horror time travel element was so unique and effective and allowed us to really see all of these parts of Hylee and her internal world. It served so well to explore Hylee’s grief and processing of her trauma. I loved the bit of romance that develops (we all love to see a grounded, stable, positive love interest!!). Eilam is my favorite. And it’s so refreshing to read teenagers that actually act like teenagers! Britney Lewis does an incredible job at creating characters that make teenage decisions and say teenage things realistically, and I think that this book is going to be so important and meaningful in the hands of teens who need it.
In addition to the horror and time travel plot, we get complicated familial relationships, friendships, and Hylee’s own journey of grief.
I really enjoyed the end where
This is a wonderfully spooky book about coming to terms with the things we can't change and the ways that the past can fester and haunt us.
I devoured this in a single day and enjoyed every page.
Thank you Britney Lewis, NetGalley, and Disney Hyperion for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Murder
This book largely deals with processing grief and trauma through the lense of time-travel and alternate realities. Death of a sibling, grief-torn family dynamics, and processing a murder/home invasion are large plot points/themes in this one.
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
One of my new favorite books. My ideal gothic tail with a haunted house, a priest that's a witch, romantic tension, and a writing style that I tempted me to read it again as soon as I turned the final page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
Tracks by Louise Erdrich
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Louise Erdrich never fails. Her voices come through with stunning intensity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual assault