The world of professional ballet can be cut-throat—literally. Jamison Shea’s debut YA horror novel, I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, takes an unflinching look at ambitious young women in a highly competitive field and the hellish lengths to which they will go to achieve their dreams. If you like morally gray female characters who embrace their dark sides, you definitely don’t want to miss this book, which came out last summer. Continue reading Review of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me
Category: YA
Review of A Deadly Education—Monsters and Dark Magic
Going through high school as a social outcast is hard enough when the school itself isn’t trying to kill you. At the Scholomance, being a loner can be deadly…. I’ve finally read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, a young adult fantasy novel which came out back in 2020. I’ve been a fan of Novik since first stumbling upon Uprooted in 2015, but even more so ever since I read her Slavic fairy story Spinning Silver. I’ve been hearing great things about the Scholomance series for years, and now that all three books in the trilogy are out, I figured it would be the perfect time to pick up Book 1. Continue reading Review of A Deadly Education—Monsters and Dark Magic
Review of She Is a Haunting
“This house eats and is eaten.” The hunger of a haunted house is encapsulated in this stunning opening line of Trang Thanh Tran’s debut YA horror novel, She Is a Haunting, which comes out tomorrow, February 28. The novel is an innovative take on the haunted house genre, combining the coming-of-age story of a queer teen from an immigrant family with infestational horror that functions to critique colonialism, much like in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. If either of those themes sound up your alley, you do not want to miss this debut! Continue reading Review of She Is a Haunting
Not Good For Maidens—A Goblin Market Retelling
Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” has always been one of my favorite poems, so when I saw there was a new YA fantasy novel that takes this poem as its premise, I had to pick it up. Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino, which came out last spring, tells the story of two generations of young women who face down the temptations of the infamous goblin market. Continue reading Not Good For Maidens—A Goblin Market Retelling
Review of Bone Weaver—Imperial Russia-inspired Fantasy
A girl raised by the dead discovers her own life-saving magic in Aden Polydoros’s second novel, Bone Weaver. I knew Polydoros was one to watch from the moment he first announced his Jewish historical thriller debut, The City Beautiful, which was one of my favorite books from last year. So when I heard he was diving even deeper into fantasy with his next book, which takes place in a secondary world inspired by Imperial Russia and Slavic folklore, I immediately requested a review copy and was not disappointed. Bone Weaver comes out tomorrow, September 20. Continue reading Review of Bone Weaver—Imperial Russia-inspired Fantasy
Review of A Snake Falls to Earth
Can a snake save the world? Oli the cottonmouth snake spirit is determined to save at least his little patch of it in Darcie Little Badger’s YA fantasy novel A Snake Falls to Earth, which came out last fall. Inspired by traditional Lipan Apache storytelling, this book brings together the human world and the spirit world in a tale of monsters, magic, and family. Continue reading Review of A Snake Falls to Earth
Review of Gallant—A YA Gothic
The shadows live just on the other side of the wall.… Gallant is a delightfully Gothic YA fantasy novel by V. E. Schwab that centers on a family cursed to guard the border between the human world and its shadowed mirror realm. It came out just last month, and is an excellent place to start if you haven’t read any V. E. Schwab before. Continue reading Review of Gallant—A YA Gothic
Within These Wicked Walls Review
What if Mr. Rochester had, not a wife, but a deadly curse. Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood reimagines Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel within an Ethiopia-inspired fantasy setting. Last year I posted about the surprising number of Jane Eyre retellings that all came out in 2021. Obviously, I’ve got to go down the list and read them all! I’ve already posted reviews of The Wife in the Attic and John Eyre, so Within These Wicked Walls was up next. Continue reading Within These Wicked Walls Review
Review of The City Beautiful—Jewish Historical Fantasy/Thriller
“The body cannot sustain two souls….” A young Jewish immigrant is possessed by the dybbuk of his murdered friend in Aden Polydoros’s debut YA novel The City Beautiful. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since Aden first announced his book deal several years ago! As a Jewish teen growing up, I rarely got to see my culture reflected in anything other than “issue books” about the Holocaust, so I’ve been delighted by the recent uptick of Jewish-inspired YA fantasy with books like Spinning Silver and The Sisters of the Winter Wood. But The City Beautiful is the first book I’ve encountered that really reaches into the deep well of Jewish folklore and draws up its horror elements. The City Beautiful comes out tomorrow, October 5. Continue reading Review of The City Beautiful—Jewish Historical Fantasy/Thriller
Review of Lakesedge—Monsters and Magic in YA Gothic
What would you trade for the power to protect those you love? Violeta bargains with gods and monsters in Lyndall Clipstone’s debut YA novel, Lakesedge. Described as a “lush gothic fantasy,” Lakesedge comes out tomorrow, September 28. Continue reading Review of Lakesedge—Monsters and Magic in YA Gothic