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leahlovesloslibros's reviews
143 reviews
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Pedro & Daniel is based on the real-life story of the author (known as Pedro in the book) and his brother Daniel. The story is told in alternating dual POV, starting in childhood and going through adulthood. The brothers face many significant hardships, just a few of which include abuse by their mother, homophobia, racism, and religious trauma at the hands of the Catholic Church. Although they face constant struggles, their bond grows stronger through the stages of life, all of which we get to witness on-page. This story is heart-wrenching and inspiring, and deeply emotional. As someone who shares a close bond with their sibling, I was deeply moved by the brothers’ stories. This is a book I will not soon forget.
This book comes with several TW/CW (listed in official synopsis); take care when reading.
CW/TW: References to domestic violence, child abuse, homophobia, colorism, racism, clergy abuse, suicidality, sex, and death.
CW/TW: References to domestic violence, child abuse, homophobia, colorism, racism, clergy abuse, suicidality, sex, and death.
Many thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review, and of course Federico Erebia for sharing this poignant story of the strength of family bonds in the face of true adversity.
Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Synopsis:
After Milly discovers a pride flag in Grandad's attic, this adorable pair are motivated by the past to start a pride parade in their small town. Activism and celebration go hand in hand as the town gathers to help "build a world where everyone is proud to be themselves." This beautiful follow-up to Grandad's Camper is filled with heart and purpose.
Review:
This book is so full of color and love. These are the kinds of books that kids need to be seeing all the time. Especially with the increasing issues surrounding banned books, it is vital that we continue to share these types of stories before they disappear: the ones of joy and pride in being exactly who we are.
The content is very family-friendly; perfect for kids to read on their own or with an adult. This is also a great book for libraries and classrooms, especially for very young readers (Pre-K through early elementary), and as an educator myself, I am so excited to have a copy for my shelves. My goal is to get more books like this in kids’ hands as much as possible so they can learn love and acceptance rather than hate and exclusion.
The art in this book is also exceptionally beautiful. It is evident that Woodgate put a lot of time and effort into creating diverse characters of all kinds. We see people of all races, genders, ages, and abilities. There are individuals with tattoos, multi-racial families, and more. There is an extra element of magic in the fact that the author is also the illustrator, so they know exactly how to make their vision come to life on the page, and that is exactly what they did.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially for our beginning and early readers. The message in this book is one of love, acceptance, and inclusion; things that we can all use more of. Grandad’s Pride is a book I will share with others, and I can’t wait to see what else the author comes up with in the future.
Huge thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours and Little Bee Books for providing me with a copy of Grandad’s Pride in exchange for an honest review and for inviting me to be a part of this tour. I absolutely loved this book! US publication is next week, Tuesday, 4/25/23.
After Milly discovers a pride flag in Grandad's attic, this adorable pair are motivated by the past to start a pride parade in their small town. Activism and celebration go hand in hand as the town gathers to help "build a world where everyone is proud to be themselves." This beautiful follow-up to Grandad's Camper is filled with heart and purpose.
Review:
This book is so full of color and love. These are the kinds of books that kids need to be seeing all the time. Especially with the increasing issues surrounding banned books, it is vital that we continue to share these types of stories before they disappear: the ones of joy and pride in being exactly who we are.
The content is very family-friendly; perfect for kids to read on their own or with an adult. This is also a great book for libraries and classrooms, especially for very young readers (Pre-K through early elementary), and as an educator myself, I am so excited to have a copy for my shelves. My goal is to get more books like this in kids’ hands as much as possible so they can learn love and acceptance rather than hate and exclusion.
The art in this book is also exceptionally beautiful. It is evident that Woodgate put a lot of time and effort into creating diverse characters of all kinds. We see people of all races, genders, ages, and abilities. There are individuals with tattoos, multi-racial families, and more. There is an extra element of magic in the fact that the author is also the illustrator, so they know exactly how to make their vision come to life on the page, and that is exactly what they did.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially for our beginning and early readers. The message in this book is one of love, acceptance, and inclusion; things that we can all use more of. Grandad’s Pride is a book I will share with others, and I can’t wait to see what else the author comes up with in the future.
Huge thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours and Little Bee Books for providing me with a copy of Grandad’s Pride in exchange for an honest review and for inviting me to be a part of this tour. I absolutely loved this book! US publication is next week, Tuesday, 4/25/23.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
dark
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 book absolutely wrecked me in the best way. After the perfection that is book one in this series, I didn't know if this book would live up to my expectations. I am very glad that I worried for no reason.
Bloodmarked gives us a further look into Bree's exploration of her powers. Being a medium, a Rootcrafter, and the Crown Scion for the line of Arthur, Bree is being pulled in several directions at once. She must make difficult choices in attempt to save herself and the ones she loves, all while deciding who she can trust, which is proving to be much more challenging than she thought it would be. Of course as Bree struggles with this, I do, too. Deonn did a great job of planting little distrustful thoughts in our minds as the twists and turns of characters continued. The constant toying with my emotions made it stressful in the best way; I couldn't stop turning pages.
In addition to the new characters introduced in this book, we continue to see character development of Bree and several of the other characters from Legendborn. I love seeing the way their stories unfold. There is a lot of depth to Deonn's characters and she is masterful at tying up any loose ends that she may construct. Speaking of loose ends, the way she leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end of this book....so cruel, but so good.
As in Legendborn, the themes of feminism, racism/racial discrimination, and death and grief were all very prevalent. The way Deonn writes these, it is clear that these themes are deeply personal to her, which makes the depth of the story so much stronger. There is no doubt in my mind that book 3 will be anything short of brilliant, just as these first two have been. I don't know how I am going to contain myself in the meantime, but I will continue to recommend this series to anyone and everyone.
Bloodmarked gives us a further look into Bree's exploration of her powers. Being a medium, a Rootcrafter, and the Crown Scion for the line of Arthur, Bree is being pulled in several directions at once. She must make difficult choices in attempt to save herself and the ones she loves, all while deciding who she can trust, which is proving to be much more challenging than she thought it would be. Of course as Bree struggles with this, I do, too. Deonn did a great job of planting little distrustful thoughts in our minds as the twists and turns of characters continued. The constant toying with my emotions made it stressful in the best way; I couldn't stop turning pages.
In addition to the new characters introduced in this book, we continue to see character development of Bree and several of the other characters from Legendborn. I love seeing the way their stories unfold. There is a lot of depth to Deonn's characters and she is masterful at tying up any loose ends that she may construct. Speaking of loose ends, the way she leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end of this book....so cruel, but so good.
As in Legendborn, the themes of feminism, racism/racial discrimination, and death and grief were all very prevalent. The way Deonn writes these, it is clear that these themes are deeply personal to her, which makes the depth of the story so much stronger. There is no doubt in my mind that book 3 will be anything short of brilliant, just as these first two have been. I don't know how I am going to contain myself in the meantime, but I will continue to recommend this series to anyone and everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing and Torture
Minor: Vomit and Rape
The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
All through my teen years and even into my early twenties, I couldn’t get enough dystopian stories – especially ones with deadly competitions – so when I was offered a spot on this book tour I was so excited. Even better, it allowed me to see a main character who represents my own Filipina background. Growing up it was rare to find Filipinx representation in books, so the fact that there has been increasing representation in recent years makes my heart full.
I loved the magic system in this book, and there were lots of action scenes that kept me entertained. Additionally, like Narra, I feel strong connections to friends and family, so to see her risk everything for the ones she loves was very relatable.
Although there were some adrenaline-pumping moments, I found that the story moved a bit slowly for my liking. The culture and storyline were well-developed, but the structure of the Tigangi government sometimes got muddled. Even with these issues, I liked this book overall.
Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours and Entangled Teen for gifting me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the magic system in this book, and there were lots of action scenes that kept me entertained. Additionally, like Narra, I feel strong connections to friends and family, so to see her risk everything for the ones she loves was very relatable.
Although there were some adrenaline-pumping moments, I found that the story moved a bit slowly for my liking. The culture and storyline were well-developed, but the structure of the Tigangi government sometimes got muddled. Even with these issues, I liked this book overall.
Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours and Entangled Teen for gifting me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
Pixels of You by Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Honestly, I found this one to be somewhat boring. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it. (2.5 stars)
The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
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
I enjoyed this book much more than Once Upon a Broken Heart (#1 in this series). That book felt somewhat disjointed, especially with the vampire section in the middle. This book had plenty of vampire action as well, which I typically don't like, but it actually fit with the storyline so seamlessly that it didn't bother me like it did in OUABH.
I found myself stealing little snippets of time to read as often as possible, and when I could, I would just sit down and devour whole sections, because Stephanie Garber has - yet again - written an absolutely enchanting book.
A few random thoughts: I did not expect Evangeline to be capable of killing someone! I was shocked when she murdered Petra, and I was totally here for the darkness of it all. The Hollow was my favorite area of The Magnificent North, I think. I was so upset when Evangeline took the mirth stone and the magic all disappeared and it essentially went to shambles. I'm still a little confused on the whole, Jacks is the Archer thing. Who was the original Fox? Not Donatella, right?
The slow burn between Jacks and Evangeline was great, and that ending....oof. Can't wait for book 3!
I found myself stealing little snippets of time to read as often as possible, and when I could, I would just sit down and devour whole sections, because Stephanie Garber has - yet again - written an absolutely enchanting book.
The slow burn between Jacks and Evangeline was great, and that ending....oof. Can't wait for book 3!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
Coven by Kit Seaton, Jennifer Dugan
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This graphic novel had a good storyline, although it wasn't overly complicated. I enjoyed the queer rep and the magic (obviously), and the little twist at the end was fun. I will definitely be rereading this one, and would absolutely read other things written by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Animal death, and Gore
Something Great by Jeanette Bradley
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
As both an elementary educator and a proud member of the LGBTQIAP+ community, this is exactly the kind of book I'm looking for. I was thrilled to see nonbinary rep in a children's book, as well as a diverse friend and a child partaking in STEM activities. I can't wait to add this one to my library, and I highly recommend that you add it to your personal and classroom libraries (if applicable) as well.