Reviews

You, Me, And Our Heartstrings by Melissa See

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to the author for the giveaway!

Daisy and Noah have the same plan: use the holiday concert to land a Julliard audition. But when they’re chosen to play a duet for the concert, they worry that their differences will sink their chances. Noah, a cello prodigy from a long line of musicians, wants to stick to tradition. Daisy, a fiercely independent disabled violinist, is used to fighting for what she wants and likes to take risks. But the two surprise each other when they play. They fall perfectly in tune. After their performance goes viral, the rest of the country falls for them just as surely as they’re falling for each other. But viral fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. No one seems to care about their talent or their music at all. People have rewritten their love story into one where Daisy is an inspiration for overcoming her cerebral palsy and Noah is a saint for seeing past it. Daisy is tired of her disability being the only thing people see about her, and all of the attention sends Noah’s anxiety disorder into high speed. They can see their dream coming closer than it’s ever been before. But is the cost suddenly too high?

I’ve been excited for this book since before it even sold. I’ve followed Melissa online for awhile, and her book about a disabled musician who goes viral with her duet partner, but as inspiration porn, sounded freaking amazing and I am so happy that it sold! I could not wait to read it.

Continue reading “You, Me, And Our Heartstrings by Melissa See” →
Reviews

A Disaster In Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

Saine Sinclair knows a little something about what makes a story worth telling. Your childhood best friend refuses to kiss you during a pre-adolescent game of spin the bottle? Terrible, zero stars, would not replay that scene again. The same ex-friend becomes your new best friend’s ex? Strangely compelling, unexpected twist, worth a hate-watch. That same guy—why is he always around?—turns out to be your last shot at getting into the documentary filmmaking program of your dreams? Saine hates to admit it, but she’d watch that movie. And working with Holden Michaels on this doc is going to get her into college—even if she has to take a few. . . cinematic liberties as a director. But there’s something about Holden that makes her feel like she’s the one in front of the camera—like he can see every uncomfortable truth she’s buried below the surface. Saine knows how her story’s supposed to go. So why does every moment with Holden seem intent on changing the ending?

After reading and loving Last Chance Books, I was very excited to see what Kelsey would write next. And a book about a fat cheerleader was basically what sold me, but a book about a fat cheerleader who has to make a documentary with her childhood best friend who is also her friends ex and she does like him very much herself because of a falling out. It sounded amazing, and I was so eager to read it!

Continue reading “A Disaster In Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey” →
Reviews

Sofi And The Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley

Chloe Maron1 Comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to my friend Kailey for letting me borrow her ARC!

Music runs in Sofi’s blood. Her father is a Musik, one of only five musicians in the country licensed to compose and perform original songs. In the kingdom of Aell, where winter is endless and magic is accessible to all, there are strict anti-magic laws ensuring music remains the last untouched art. Sofi has spent her entire life training to inherit her father’s title. But on the day of the auditions, she is presented with unexpected competition in the form of Lara, a girl who has never before played the lute. Yet somehow, to Sofi’s horror, Lara puts on a performance that thoroughly enchants the judges. Almost like magic. The same day Lara wins the title of Musik, Sofi’s father dies, and a grieving Sofi sets out to prove Lara is using illegal magic in her performances. But the more time she spends with Lara, the more Sofi begins to doubt everything she knows about her family, her music, and the girl she thought was her enemy. As Sofi works to reclaim her rightful place as a Musik, she is forced to face the dark secrets of her past and the magic she was trained to avoid—all while trying not to fall for the girl who stole her future.

I really liked Sweet And Bitter Magic, and you only have to whisper “queer witches” and I am there and ready to scream. So, I was ready to read this book before I even knew much about it! Though, learning that it was about the idea of having to suffer for art, and a world where music can only be played by a select few, only made more and more eager to read it. Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, grief, self-harm

Continue reading “Sofi And The Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley” →
Reviews

The City Of Dusk by Tara Sim

Chloe Maron1 Comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir. But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying. Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light— will sacrifice everything to save the city. But their defiance will cost them dearly.

I knew I wanted to read this book when I heard it was a multi realm dark fantasy, with each realm having a god, and each god having an heir. And the realms are now sealed from each other, because the gods have withdrawn their favor. It sounded freaking incredible, and I was very eager to read it! Trigger warnings: mentions of parental abuse, grief, self-harm, blood, gore

Continue reading “The City Of Dusk by Tara Sim” →
Reviews

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Chloe Maron3 Comments

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to Peachtree Teen for the ARC!

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with. But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all. Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

I’ve been excited for this book since the deal announcement. A trans boy in a post apocalyptical world, who has been injected with a bioweapon and is slowly turning into a monster. He falls in with a group of queer teens, and they try to survive together in a world taken over by a fundamentalist sect. It sounded dark, angry, and so, so good. Trigger warnings: homophobia, transphobia, deadnaming, blood, body horror, gore

Continue reading “Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White” →
Reviews

Violet Made Of Thorns by Gina Chen

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it. But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus. Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

When I heard that this was a book about a prophet who was a liar, who shapes her world through the lies she tells, I wanted to read it. Then on top of that, she and the prince do not like each other at all. They don’t like each other so much there might be some attraction between them. It sounded incredible and I couldn’t wait to read it.

Continue reading “Violet Made Of Thorns by Gina Chen” →
Reviews

Crown Of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks. Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

I’ve wanted to read this book since before it came out. Phoenixes and a complicated sister story was enough to intrigue me. I mean, plus, look at the cover! It’s stunning. I really do not have much of an introduction because I was going into this book with a complicated sister story and phoenixes being enough to pull me in haha.

Continue reading “Crown Of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto” →
Reviews

Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to Dutton and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

The jellyfish commonly known as a Portuguese man o’ war is neither Portuguese, nor a jellyfish, nor a man, nor even a singular organism. If you can cope with those facts, you can begin to understand River McIntyre, an elite high school swimmer who’s bad at counting laps. River McIntyre has lived all their life in the shadow of Sea Planet, a now infamous ocean theme park slowly going out of business in the middle of Ohio. As Sea Planet drifts toward its final end, so does River’s high school career and, worse, their time as a competitive swimmer. Or maybe not. When River makes an impulsive dive into Ocean Planet’s shark tank, they unintentionally set off on a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized homophobia and self-loathing through layers of coming out, gender confirmation surgery, and true love. And at the end of this race? Who knows. After all, counting laps has never been River’s strong suit.

I legitimately cried over the deal announcement for this book. I was a competitive swimmer for ten years, I’m trans, I’ve dealt with certain kinds of dysphoria, it was a process to grow into my identity, I’ve gotten top surgery. I’ve desperately wanted to read this book since I found out about it, since it seemed like it touch basically hit my right in the chest. Trigger warnings: internalized homophobia, transphobia, self-harm, deadnaming

Continue reading “Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy” →
Reviews

Deep In Providence by Riss M. Neilson

Chloe MaronLeave a comment

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to Henry Holt and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

For best friends Miliani, Inez, Natalie and Jasmine, Providence, Rhode Island has a magic of its own. From the bodegas and late-night food trucks on Broad Street to The Hill that watches over the city, every corner of Providence glows with memories of them practicing spells, mixing up potions and doing séances with the help of the magic Miliani’s Filipino grandfather taught her. But when Jasmine is killed by a drunk driver, the world they have always known is left haunted by grief…and Jasmine’s lingering spirit. Determined to bring her back, the surviving friends band together, testing the limits of their magic and everything they know about life, death, and each other. And as their plan to resurrect Jasmine grows darker and more demanding than they imagined, their separate lives begin to splinter the bonds they depend on, revealing buried secrets that threaten the people they care about most. Miliani, Inez and Natalie will have to rely on more than just their mystical abilities to find the light. 

My excitement for this book truly came from a friend who screams about it all the time. And, a story who about grief, and doing whatever it takes, truly whatever it takes, to bring a friend back from the dead sounded incredible, and I was eager to see what I think of it. Trigger warnings: grief, sexual harassment, drug use, addiction, talk of abortion

Continue reading “Deep In Providence by Riss M. Neilson” →