The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

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Twisted fairytales!

Clara is determined to save her lost mother from the Forest Grimm where she wandered into three years ago. Her best friends Axel and Henni join Clara and they want to save Henni’s lost sister also. The Forest Grimm changed when a curse happened in Grimm Hollow and twisted the magic that used to be helpful to the villagers. The three are in danger of becoming lost themselves because the Forest moves and changes. They are surrounded by creatures who want to cause them harm. They can only trust each other and hope that trust is enough to save them.

Likes/dislikes: Axel’s gift for finding silver linings in any situation is charming. I enjoyed the story of the young ghost, Ollie. It adds a bit of spookiness and melancholy. The author wove a creepy tale of twisted magic.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 3 swears.
Violence: PG for death.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

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A monster hurricane changes the world!

Nonie lives in the American Museum of Natural History in New York because of the immense hurricane and other intense storms that have swept over the world. When a huge flood hits the museum, Nonie leaves with her sister Bix, their father and their family friend Keller. They are heading to their Aunt Clare’s house. On the way, they fight nature as the storms increase in strength, the wild and unknown. They try to stop for rest from the river and shelter from the rain but meet Lost, two men that only seem to want to harm. Father gets shot, Bix also gets shot and Keller gets pneumonia from jumping into the dirty river to rescue their boat from the strong currents. Will any of them survive?

Likes/dislikes: The story has an interesting premise and dystopian plot. The author made the main characters flawed and relatable. I like that the story was carried on by hope, even when everything seemed lost.
Mature content: G for kissing.
Language: PG-13 for 13 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: mixed.

eMortal by Steve Schafer

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Left me with a feeling of wonder!

Liv enters a competition to create an AI character that can solve a riddle. Liv’s character Breck seems fairly intelligent and when she writes a code that will allow him to sleep (rest and reboot) the competition leader takes notice. Along with the stress of wanting to win the AI competition and internship, Liv tries to help her mother revive the family toy store that belonged to her grandfather. This becomes more difficult than creating a character and writing code. She and her mother struggle to see each other’s point of view and this just causes arguments and frustration. With perseverance, will Liv win and be able to help her mom or will it all be too much?

Likes/dislikes: I normally struggle with enjoying science fiction but this is a fun read! I love the lead into the ending and the ending itself. I enjoyed the humor and the realistic characters. I admired the perseverance of the characters.
Mature content: G
Language: PG-13 for 34 swears, no f-words.
Violence: G
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool

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Intrigue and magic!

Marlow is a curse breaker who is helping her past crush, Adrius. Adrius has been given a curse that forces him to obey any orders given to him. He only trusts Marlow when he doesn’t even trust his own family. Adrius comes from a rich, powerful family who values money and power above all. When Marlow discovers who placed the curse on Adrius, she also reveals a secret that will change her life forever.

Likes/dislikes: The mystery behind the curse is fun to watch unravel. Marlow’s perseverance is admirable. The secrets revealed are intriguing and make me excited for the sequel, Masquerade of the Heart.
Language: R for 54 swears and 5 f-words.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: predominantly white. Adrius has warm brown skin. Corrine has dark skin.

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller

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Who will back down first?

Chrysantha is a beast. She and her sister Alessandra are in constant competition and their father expects both of them to keep him out of bankruptcy by marrying someone rich. While Alessandra married the Shadow King, Chrysantha married an elderly Duke but she ends him within two months after their marriage. Since the Duke has no heirs, she inherits everything and thoroughly enjoys redecorating the manor and revamping her wardrobe. She also gives the servants raises and shows them appreciation for their hard work. Eryx arrives, claiming he’s the Duke’s grandson and turns life in the manor upside down. Eryx has a secret and Chrysantha isn’t going to let him get away with ruining her plans without finding out what he’s hiding.

Likes/dislikes: The contradictions of Chrysantha’s character and actions are entertaining. Eryx is an interesting character and I enjoyed the unknown that went along with his secret. I liked Chrysantha’s feistiness.
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing and off page sex.
Language: R for 62 swears and 0 F-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Pale ivory, peach, dark beige, ebony skinned, deep obsidian skin tone, golden skin are all mentioned.

The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

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Unexpected turns!

Tamsin and Cabell continue on their mission but they seek different paths. Tamsin is with a group of like-minded and strong individuals searching for the Mirror of Beasts while Cabell is following Lord Death in the deadly and violent Wild Hunt. The Mirror of Beasts is not what they expected; it’s more remarkable than they ever imagined. Cabell faces the decision of leaving all he knows behind, including his sister Tamsin, to follow Lord Death. Tamsin discovers secrets about Emrys, Nash and herself that are shocking and completely change everything.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the alternating narrative between Tamsin and Cabell. Beautiful prose. The mystery of Nash is fun to see unravel. This story is full of great characters!
Mature content: PG-13 for non-detailed sex.
Language: R for 68 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: fair skinned, blue-gray and leaf-green skin, brown skin, and tan skin make up the ethnicity.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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“Ghosts have warm hands.” World War I historical fiction!

Laura receives her brother’s dog tags and uniform in the mail. This means that Freddie has died in World War I. She’s devastated but has a feeling that he isn’t dead. She leaves her Canadian home and travels back to World War I and takes up her mantle as a war nurse again to search for any information she can find about Freddie. What she discovers will change her life forever.

Likes/dislikes: Laura’s strength, perseverance, and love for her brother makes her a great character. My heart warmed as Freddie and the German soldier helped each other and became like brothers. I appreciated the World War I setting and learned quite a bit about its history. I didn’t know about the Halifax explosion before I read this book.
Language: R for 93 swears and 3 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for adults drinking.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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“It is imperative to confront history because it repeats itself when ignored.” -June Hur

A young woman in 1504 Korea, 17yo Iseul, and her older sister are orphaned by soldiers who killed their parents on orders from the king. They live with their grandmother until 1506 when the king collects the eldest for one of his own concubines. Iseul will do anything to save her sister but she has to learn patience and observation skills to do it wisely and as safely as possible. An investigator for the soldiers is helping her gain these skills, even though it will mark him as a traitor. Iseul unexpectedly meets Prince Daehyun and eventually they help each other as the Prince plans a coup to take down the tyrant king. Full of intrigue and determination!

Likes/dislikes: I appreciate the research the author took the time to do for this book about a dark part of Korean history. Magnificent character development and world building. I fell in love with Iseul and the prince.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 31 swears and 1 f-word.
Violence: R for repeated bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Korean

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

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Clever mystery!
A 17yo young woman wakes up in a ditch and has no idea how she got there. A police officer drives by, sees her, helps her and takes her to the police station where he questions her and realizes that she has lost her memory. She has a flashback of standing by a cluster of postal mailboxes and big hands grabbing her but she remembers nothing else. Soon after, a man arrives asking the police officer for help in finding his missing daughter. Alternately, a community is searching for a missing teenage girl that disappeared while walking home. Could this be the same girl?

Likes/dislikes: The mystery kept me glued to the pages. The characters are an interesting and diverse set of personalities. The mystery unravels cleverly.
Mature content: G
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting and bloody death.
Language: R for 156 swears and 83 f-words.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Damsel by Evelyn Skye

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Soon to be a Netflix movie!
20yo Elodie is excited to meet her betrothed, Prince Henry of Aurea. Elodie is one of three princesses who will be given to the dragon during Harvest Week in exchange for Aurea’s prosperity. Each year for the last eight centuries, three princesses from different parts of the world have been brought to Aurea under the guise of marrying Prince Henry, only to be sacrificed to the dragon. After unceremoniously being sent into the dragon’s lair, Elodie keeps going by relying on her wits, her strength and the help of past princesses through clues they’ve left behind. She might just survive to save the next princess.

Likes/dislikes: The story is slow in the beginning to give the reader a sense of calm but then the action picks up once Elodie learns the secret of Aurea. I enjoyed how the author meshed the past and present princesses together and the perseverance of each. I’m impressed how the author’s 13yo daughter created a functional language for the dragons in this story. The language syntax, grammatical rules and words are in the back of the book.
Mature content: PG for brief kisses.
Language: R for 35 swears, no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for Men being eaten by dragon, detailed sounds. Being burnt by flames. Pierced through skull by dragon wing point.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity of Elodie and Henry fall to white, but brown skinned characters are found in the book also.