Thank you to Inkshares for sending me a copy for review! If you haven't read Matt Harry's guest post, Death to the Chosen Ones, click here!
The much-anticipated sequel to Sorcery For Beginners is here! "If you're looking for someone who's got the spell-books covered, you might want to turn to fiction: Matt Harry's Sorcery for Beginners books are a fun getaway for any age." ―BuzzFeed Six weeks have passed since teenage sorcerers Trish, Owen, and Perry defeated a team of ruthless anti-magic mercenaries called the Euclideans. When they learn that the world’s cryptids (aka magical creatures) are disappearing, they’re partnered with brusque team leader Jacinda Greyeyes and their former nemesis Bryan Ferretti in a mission to travel all over North America, collecting famous cryptids like the jackalope, the chupacabra, and the altamaha-ha. But after another team of teenage sorcerers suddenly vanishes, the spellcasters set out for Germany, Egypt, and the Seychelles to uncover why the Euclideans have been abducting and experimenting on magical creatures like the unicorn and the Sphinx. The secrets they uncover threaten to divide them and reveal a truth that will permanently upend the way the world sees sorcery. A bit of a first for me: reading and reviewing a sequel without reading the first book in the series. It went well! Careful world building and explanations gave sufficient context for the story, and I was able to grasp the story easily. I really liked the concept of a book focusing on magical creatures and cryptids, which made the whole story feel unique. This will definitely appeal to readers who are interested in animal rights! The whole novel is filled with excerpts from the field guide, with illustrations of cryptids and notes on their origins and mythology, which is a fun way to bring different cultures and history into the novel. There are also notes on magical objects, spells, and the Euclidians—the main villains—embedded in the text to give context for readers who are just starting the series. For me, this was helpful, as I hadn’t read the previous novel, but I wonder if the references to Sorcery for Beginners would become tedious to any reader who had started the series from the beginning. Either way, the multi-media aspect of the novel was engaging and helped me visualize various parts of the world. The plot itself is well-paced and adventurous, introducing different characters and continents to keep the reader on their toes. Various chase and capture scenes in which the characters dashed all over North America were interspersed with character-building moments. I enjoyed reading from Trish’s perspective. She has a lot of room to grow as a character in her perception of herself and others, and it was rewarding to see her learn from her mistakes and use magic to help others. I also have to mention: Trish likes girls, which makes Cryptozoology a fantastic novel for young readers who are exploring their sense of identity and sexual orientation. I’m so glad to be able to recommend another middle grade novel featuring a sapphic main character. Overall, I give Cryptozoology for Beginners 4/5 stars for its wonderful characters and adventures. I recommend this novel for readers interested in conservation and animal rights efforts! Hi all! I'm super wiped today, but this week has an abundance of fun posts with you. Scroll down a bit to see Matt Harry's guest post (the first I've hosted on this blog) on chosen ones, and come back in a few days to find my review of his new book, Cryptozoology for Beginners.
In other news, I've just finished with a production, and am now sleeping A LOT to make up for the tech struggle. I love working on shows, but it's a constant cycle of exhaustion. I've taken to drinking tea lately--if you've seen my bookstagram stories, you know I'm a new David's Tea convert! I've got a fancy new thermochromic mug and everything. Let me know what your favorite teas are, and I'll try them! Happy Tuesday all! Hi all! Matt Harry, author of Sorcery for Beginners, is here today with a guest post, in advance of my review for its sequel, Cryptozoology for Beginners. Welcome, Matt! --Shreya Death to the Chosen OnesI’m sick of chosen ones.
I’m also tired of prophecies, once-in-a-generation types, and any story in which a person’s bloodline is what makes them special. Sure, I’ve enjoyed a good “chosen one” yarn in the past, whether it stars Harry Potter, Daenerys Targaryen, or James Bond. But now, I say enough is enough. I’m done with exceptionalism. Death to the chosen ones! I understand the fascination with stories of this type. For thousands of years, we’ve been told these tales. We’ve been taught that strong narratives have to feature “special” people at the center of them. Extraordinary people. We like to imagine ourselves as extraordinary, too. Any of us would love to get an acceptance letter from Hogwarts or a surprise DNA test revealing that we are secretly royalty. Great people, as we’ve been told time and again in both stories and real life, usually start off great in some way. One only has to look to history to see this in action. There are far more “heroes of exceptionalism” — queens, messiahs, demigods — than there are ordinary folks who became great. Average Joes achieving the incredible feels like a pretty recent phenomenon. There are several reasons for this. First, up until about fifty years ago, privilege begat privilege. The only people who had access to knowledge, weapons, quests, and transportation were those were already had access to those things. It’s pretty hard to read a prophecy if, like many people back in the day, you couldn’t read at all. So being part of the aristocratic ruling class made it much easier to distinguish yourself. Secondly, the stories we were told for thousands of years were mostly written by chosen ones, too — people who were familiar with the same privilege their heroes enjoyed, be it blood, education, or grooming. Of course they were more likely to chronicle these stories — the ones that supported and validated their own successes — than to highlight someone who succeeded despite the lack of these virtues. It’s easy to applaud triples when you too were born on third base. Finally — and this is the most insidious reason for the love of these stories — if there’s a chosen one out there, it lets the rest of us off the hook. “Only the seventh son of a seventh son can defeat the forces of evil?” we’ll ask, wide-eyed. “Great, then I can go home and play video games. Good Luck, O Exalted One!” Chosen ones make the rest of us lazy. And so, again, I say no more chosen ones. The trope is bad for stories and for readers. In my books Sorcery for Beginners and Cryptozoology for Beginners, I bent over backwards to ensure that the main characters were ordinary kids thrust into an extraordinary situation. They are the heroes of the stories not because of their lineage, or a prophecy, or an elite school, but because they saw an injustice in the world and wanted to fix it. Yes, they have some magic help guides and adult sorcerers to assist them, but even those allies don’t provide easy answers. In the world of my novels, magic is like physics or calculus — it can do great things, but first it has to be studied and perfected. I would encourage all my fellow authors and readers to demand the same. To reject story lines that celebrate exceptionalism or lionize great people who were already pretty great. I think elevating the ordinary makes for more exciting stories and I think it will encourage all us readers to engage more with the world. To become our own heroes. If we must have chosen ones, let us choose ourselves. Hi everyone! As you may know, I'm part of Sandhya Menon's Street Team, Sandhya's Sweethearts! So I'm here today with a blog tour post for her newest book, Of Curses and Kisses! I've read it, and I can assure you it is amazing. Follow along with the tour here, and check out the moodboard I made below! I loved Of Curses and Kisses. Beauty and the Beast? Boarding school? Indian royalty? Angst and longing? YES. Give me ALL OF IT! This novel is about forgiveness, family, destiny, and of course-- unforgettable romance. I hope you'll give it a read! The Book and its AuthorWill the princess save the beast? For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right? His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck… As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending. Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, Of Curses and Kisses, and many other novels that also feature lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been included in several cool places, including the Today show, Teen Vogue, NPR, BuzzFeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado. Visit her online at SandhyaMenon.com, on Twitter @smenonbooks or on Instagram @sandhyamenonbooks. MoodboardHi all! I'm in the middle of a tech week for the show I'm currently working on, which is wild all around. I'm assistant scenic designing, and I've loved being a part of this team and having the opportunity to see my designs onstage. Pictures to come, hopefully!
Currently reading: many, many, many things! I've got to finish up a few books for review, and of course I'm finding time to read for myself as well. The next book I want to pick up is As Many Nows as I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl! Have any of you read it? Let me know what you think! Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target. They picked the wrong girl. Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly. Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes. This book has teeth! Watch out for Hannah Capin, a rising YA star in the business of writing heroines who are kicking butt and taking names! I am seriously impressed by everything about this novel. Foul is Fair is everything I want to read: a Shakespeare retelling written for wronged girls with elements of the fantastical. I loved the unbridled violence of this story. The plot is over-the-top dramatic and owns it, and when I was reading I truly felt like it was a dream, which alludes to the episodes of “visions” seen in the original play. Readers must choose to imagine a world in which this story is possible, and I enjoyed the surreal aspects at play. The plot follows that of Macbeth, and the cast are the privileged students of an LA private school, especially the “golden boys” of the lacrosse team, who saunter around with unchecked power, taking advantage of whoever they choose. That is, until they hurt the wrong girl. Elle-turned-Jade is our masterful Lady Macbeth, and wow… those boys do not know what’s coming for them. She’s ruthless and hurt and bloodthirsty, with only one goal in mind. She’s going to take down their king, and his whole court too. The three witches also make an appearance, helping Elle along her bloody path. I thought it was funny that they simultaneously acted as Elle’s support system following her assault, but then aid her in committing even more violence. They often spoke semi-prophetically, and I loved them as the witches. Each girl had her own struggles, but the bonds they forged with each other and Elle were so clearly powerful. As much as this book is a scream of rage, it is also a testament to the grip of female friendship. Capin’s prose is where the novel truly shines. Poetic and striking, it will knock the air out of your lungs. Her rendering of incredibly violent events is raw, yet lyrical, and invites readers to suspend disbelief and live fully in the revenge fantasy of tired girls. I can’t stress enough how enthralling I found the novel. I could not put it down, and Capin kept me fully on the hook the whole way through. Each chapter brought something new to Jade’s character as well as the plot, and I so wanted to read more of the lovely quotes the book is filled with. All in all, I loved Foul is Fair. 5/5 stars. I’m glad to start off the new decade with this bloody novel, and I hope it’s an indicator that the world will do better by all women very soon. I highly recommend you pick up a copy today, and discover the magic yourself. Hi all! I recently had the opportunity to speak with Alex Myers, a teacher, writer, and gender inclusivity education consultant, after his talk at my school. Alex was kind enough to answer a few questions for me on his reading and writing, and I hope you'll pick up his books! Alex MyersAlex Myers is a writer, teacher, and speaker. Born and raised in Paris, Maine, Alex was raised as a girl (Alice) and left Maine to attend boarding school at Phillips Exeter Academy. At Exeter, Alex came out as transgender, returning his senior year as a man after attending for three years as a woman, and was the first transgender student in that Academy’s history. After Exeter, Alex earned his bachelor’s at Harvard University, studying Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Alex was also the first openly transgender student at Harvard and worked to change the University’s nondiscrimination clause to include gender identity. Subsequent to earning a master’s degree in religion at Brown, Alex has pursued a career in teaching English at secondary schools. He completed his Master’s of Fine Arts in fiction writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he began his work on Revolutionary. He currently lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two cats. (https://alexmyerswriting.com/about/) Continental DivideGo West, Young Man. Isn't that the advice every east coast boy has considered at least once in his life? At nineteen, almost twenty, Ron Bancroft thinks those words sound pretty good. Newly out as transgender, Ron finds himself adrift: kicked out by his family, jilted by his girlfriend, unable to afford to return to college in the fall. So he heads out to Wyoming for a new start, a chance to prove that—even though he was raised as a girl, even though everyone in Boston thinks of him as transgender—he can live as a man. A real man. In Wyoming, he finds what he was looking for: rugged terrain, wranglers, a clean slate. He also stumbles into a world more dangerous than he imagined, one of bigotry and violence. And he falls for an intriguing young woman, who seems as interested in him as he is in her. Thus begins Ron’s true adventure, a search not for the right place in America, but the right place within himself to find truth, happiness, and a sense of belonging. InterviewShreya P: Hi Alex! Thank you so much for joining me! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Alex Myers: I’m a high school English teacher – something I’ve been doing for the last fifteen years. I was born and raised in rural Maine and consider myself a Northern New Englander at heart, though I’ve lived in Florida, DC, and some other places away from NE. I’m also a transgender person, and I came out 25 years ago; thinking about gender, teaching about gender, and working for civil rights for transgender people has been a big part of my life. SP: ... and how about your books? AM: I write short nonfiction – essays. And I write novels. My first, Revolutionary, came out from Simon & Schuster in 2014. It tells the story of my ancestor, Deborah Sampson, who ran away from home, disguised herself as a man, and fought in the American Revolutionary War. My second, Continental Divide, came out in November 2019 from Univ. of New Orleans Press. It tells the story of a transgender guy who is wondering how to live as a man, so he goes out to Wyoming to explore himself and American Masculinity. My third is The Story of Silence, coming out in July 2020 from HarperCollins. It is a reimagining of a 13th century French poem that tells about a girl whose parents raise her as a boy… and she loves being a boy. He comes a really good knight, is conflicted about his Nature as opposed to his Nurture, and Merlin gets involved. It’s a good time. SP: Thank you! Let’s dig in: Do you have a research process for your books? If so, what does that look like? AM: I usually research the historical information just enough so that I can write – I won’t make any massive errors that will affect character or plot. Then I go… and look things up as a write and revise. If I don’t get started soon, I will spend forever researching and never write! SP: What do you hope readers will take away from your books? AM: Mostly, I hope they enjoy them. I hope they got lost in the story. After that, I hope there’s some moment that makes them reread, reconsider, and think about something that hadn’t occurred to them before… if it’s around gender, that’s even better. SP: How has your journey been influenced by reading and writing? AM: I love reading. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it. Books provide escape and entertainment and encouragement… a sense of joy and wonder… a chance to expand. I could go on. I like writing, too. It’s allowed me to indulge in imagination as an adult in a way that felt natural as a child but that I lost hold of somewhere in college. SP: What advice do you have for young people trying to become their fullest selves in today’s world? AM: Be around good people. Don’t engage with trolls. Seek out challenges, talk to as many different people as you can. But don’t hang around those who want to harm you – even if they say it’s a joke. It’s important to be kind and to be around those who are kind to you AND it’s important not to be in an echo chamber – to know and respect and like those with whom you really disagree. SP: What have you learned about yourself through writing? AM: That I can be patient. It just takes a lot of effort. SP: In writing Continental Divide, is there an element that changed significantly between your first draft and the published novel? AM: Yes. As usual for me, the beginning – where the novel starts – changed a ton. SP: Lastly, what is your favorite under-read book of all time? AM: Under-read! I love it… The Dyke and the Dybbuk (very under read, but lovely). Thank you to Alex for sharing, and readers, check out the GoodReads links I've added above for more information about his novels! I... am really really tired! I've been sort of under the weather lately, with a very persistent sore throat. Luckily, I can use that as an excuse to read all day. I'm in the middle of about three books right now, and I've just finished One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus. I highly recommend it as a new YA mystery, especially if you loved her debut. Maeve was definitely my favorite character, mostly because I love the Rojas family. I liked Bronwyn's cameos too! She and Nate were my favorite parts of One of Us is Lying, and she makes the list for the sequel as well. Absolute endgame!
I'm also reading Ruthless Gods, due to my extraordinary good luck and Wednesday Books' blessings. It is amazing. I have no words except for MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Ruthless Gods is just as bloody and holy as Wicked Saints, and I am so. so. gone for Malachiasz and Nadya. The betrayals, the monstrosity, the romance! Emily Duncan is unbelievably good and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here. As a side note, if I have any Polish/Eastern European readers, I would love a pronunciation guide! Happy Tuesday, all! Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review
No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden. In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other. With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between. Terrifying. Dystopian. Haunting. I have always been hesitant to believe people when they compare books to The Handmaid’s Tale, but if you said it about The Grace Year I would wholeheartedly agree. This novel is about survival, women’s relationships, and faith in one’s principles. It’s gripping, and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I know this is an awfully short 5 star review, but I truly don’t know how to put into words the sentiments expressed in The Grace Year. You just need to go read it. Tierney James imagines a world in which she can be free of the constraints placed on her by her patriarchal society. She’s trapped. She wants to have real friends, and to not be the rough-and-tumble one. The one who’s unlikely to be chosen as a bride. The shamed one. But when Tierney goes with the other girls into the woods on her grace year, she discovers more about herself than she knew before. As a narrator, I liked Tierney. Her status as an outsider to the rest of the girls gave insight into the ways in which girls slight each other, hoping to come out on top even when there’s no competition. All of this is described in detail, and many of us can identify with Tierney based on the traits we might share with her: feminist, imaginative, problem solver. When she’s boxed out of the girls’ social circle, she still tries to help them survive the year. Liggett pulls no punches, and there are some deeply unsettling elements that come up as major events in the book. I was impressed by her dedication to rounding out the world, despite how uncomfortable of an experience it is. I’m glad that she didn’t soften the horrors of the girls’ life in the woods, as the realism added immensely to the atmosphere. I thought a lot about myself while reading, wondering what I would do in Tierney’s place and those very specific situations. I have come to the conclusion that I am perhaps not as brave as I would like to be. The Grace Year juxtaposes emotional violence between girls and women with the deep connections they forge with each other, painting a nuanced portrait of human connection and the goodness we can all show each other. 5/5 stars for incredible emotional depth, and all that I mentioned above. Go read this book. |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
Categories
All
Archives
June 2023
|