How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black | book review

“Having a heart is terrible, but you need one anyway.”

Holly Black, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

Title: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
Series: The Folk of the Air, #3.5
Author: Holly Black
Published: Nov. 24, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Category: young adult
Genre: fantasy
Pages: 200
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

This short review is spoiler free!

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Synopsis

An illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy, that started with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.

An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.

This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim | Book Review

“I know that for every dawn, dusk must unravel its darkness.”

Elizabeth Lim, Unravel the Dawn

Title: Unravel the Dusk
Series: The Blood of Stars, #2
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Published: July 7, 2020
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: YA fantasy romance
Pages: 355
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker | Book Review

Title: Mooncakes
Series: standalone
Author: Suzanne Walker
Illustrator: Wendy Xu
Publisher: Oni Press
Genre: YA fantasy, graphic novel
Pages: 256
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars)
Goodreads page

This short review is spoiler-free!

Synopsis

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir | Book Review

“But you…are no swift-burning spark. You are a torch against the night – if you dare to let yourself burn.”

Title: A Torch Against the Night
Series: An Ember in the Ashes, #2
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 452
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5 stars)
Goodreads page

This review contains a no-spoilers section.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

“If you can’t trust people with nose rings
to be open-minded, who’s left?”

Title: Wayward Son
Series: Simon Snow, #2
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: young adult, fantasy, adventure, LGBTQ+
Pages: 356
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

This review has no spoilers.

Anticipated Releases: 2018

It’s 2018, and a new year means a whole new load of books to be excited for!

I’ve decided to compile a list of my most anticipated releases of 2018 because I normally don’t do monthly anticipated releases.

(All the synopses in this point are taken directly from Goodreads.)

(There are some spoilers as some of these books are part of a series. I put spoiler warnings before their synopses and provided a drop down so the summaries are hidden unless you click on the drop down.)

YA Novels with Male Protagonists

I read a lot of young adult novels. In fact, 95% of what I read is in the young adult genre. What I’ve noticed over the years is that there aren’t a lot of male protagonists. Sure, there are some male main characters, but most of the time the story isn’t focused on them. Often times it is a girl narrating the story or, if it’s in third person, the narrator focuses on the girl more than the guy.

We need more male protagonists in the YA genre. Everyone should have a protagonist they can relate to, and that means boys as well. I came up with a list of books that have a male main characters. The sad thing is, I had a lot of trouble compiling a list because there are so few books with male protagonists that I’ve read. This goes to show that either 1) I’m more interested in books with female protagonists or 2) the world needs more YA books with male main characters.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton | Book Review

Title: Rebel of the Sands
Series: Rebel of the Sands, #1
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Published: 03/08/16
Genre: YA, fantasy, romance
Pages: 320
My Rating: 3.5 / 5
Goodreads page

There are no spoilers in this review.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi | Book Review

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Series: The Star-Touched Queen,  #1
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Published: 04/26/16
Edition: hardcover
Pages: 342
My Rating: 3.5 / 5
Goodreads page

There are no spoilers in this review.

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

Title: Empire of Storms
Series: Throne of Glass, #5
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: 9/06/16
Edition: hardcover
Pages: 693
My Rating: 5 / 5
Goodreads page

WARNING: There are spoilers in this review. 

I wrote a spoiler-free section, but there are spoilers of the past Throne of Glass books in it. I also wrote a spoiler-filled section for those who want to fangirl with me. Please keep the comment section spoiler-free for our friends who aren’t up-to-date with the series yet. Thanks! ❤