Genre: Fantasy

(Tiny) Bite-Sized Reviews of Turn the Tide, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, When Winter Robeson Came, and The Scorpio Races

Today, I’m reviewing a few books I read just for fun. I don’t think I’d get around to writing a true review (even a bite-sized one) for any of these, but I want to give them a mention, since they deserve it. So instead I’m writing “tiny bite” reviews—I hope these will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! Turn the Tide is an inspiring verse novel that will help kids think about the environment and […]

Posted August 17, 2022 in Reviews / 6 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Bloody Fool for Love, Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, Bravely, Aru Shah and the End of Time: the Graphic Novel, & Ultimate Book of the Future

Today, I’m reviewing two YA historical fantasies, a MG fantasy, a MG fantasy graphic novel, and a MG historical verse novel! I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! Bloody Fool for Love is a historical fantasy prequel to Buffy the Vampire Slayer that focuses on Spike, the vampire we all know and love! Spike has always been my favorite character from the Buffy franchise, so I’m pretty much automatically […]

Posted August 9, 2022 in Reviews / 6 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Ballad & Dagger, Spineless, Lia Park and the Missing Jewel, and Mina

Today, I’m reviewing a YA contemporary fantasy, a MG historical fiction, a MG fantasy, and a picture book! I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! Ballad & Dagger lends a fantastical twist to the immigrant experience. It’s set in Brooklyn, but in a diaspora community from a fictional island that sank into the sea. The island’s population was a blend of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews, and it […]

Posted July 13, 2022 in Reviews / 6 Comments

For PRIDE Month and Beyond: Bite-Sized Reviews of Love Is Love, The Girl from the Sea, Mighty Red Riding Hood, and The Pants Project

PRIDE month is almost over, and I’ve practically missed it because of COVID. Ugh! But I couldn’t let the month pass without highlighting some great LGBTQ+ reads! I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! This book, told from the perspective of a kid with two dads, is simple and direct, but its message is both important and necessary. It teaches that kids should never have to feel ashamed of […]

Posted June 29, 2022 in Reviews / 5 Comments

The Mirrorwood & Nightingale by Deva Fagan: Reviews, Giveaway & Deva’s Top Ten Addictions

Today I’m featuring two books by Deva Fagan: THE MIRRORWOOD, a unique middle grade fantasy about a girl without a face and NIGHTINGALE, another fantasy, this time with a superhero spin. The first book just came out on 4/12, and the second was released in paperback on that same date! Check out my reviews, along with Deva’s list of top ten addictions and a giveaway of both books! THE MIRRORWOOD is the best kind of […]

Posted April 20, 2022 in Author Top Ten Lists, Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 5 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of The Ogress and the Orphans, The Button Box, Home Is Not a Country, and El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!

Today, I’m reviewing two MG fantasies (one historical), a YA verse novel, and a picture book! I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! With its distinctly fairy-tale feel, The Ogress and the Orphans tells a story of misconceptions and misunderstanding and the way we can sometimes judge each other without thiking and without evidence. The ogress has spent years trying to bring joy to the townspeople by leaving them […]

Posted April 15, 2022 in Reviews / 5 Comments

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa: Review & Giveaway

Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD I’m a huge fan of Kagawa’s YA books, so I was excited to see what her MG has to offer, and I was definitely not disappointed. Apparently this book is a spin-off of existing Society of Explorers and Adventurers lore that you can find in the actual Disney theme parks. I didn’t know anything about that storytelling, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book (and I’m actually headed […]

Posted April 8, 2022 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 8 Comments

Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi: Review & Giveaway

Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD This final installment in the Pandava Series starts out with our heroes at their lowest. The kids have to figure out how to rely on their own innate talents to stop the Sleeper now that they’re weaponless. All while fighting the sting of betrayal and massive self-doubt. As always, this series is a fun ride. We get adventure, magical hijinks, and a heaping serving of Hindu folklore with a dash of romance and a […]

Posted April 7, 2022 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 2 Comments

Girl Giant and the Monkey King by Van Hoang: A Dual Review with Danielle Hammelef

(No actual dueling—or even arm-twisting—was involved. Don’t worry, this is a dual review, not a duel review. Sorry if you’re disappointed.) It’s been so long since I’ve done a dual review. I was excited to be able to buddy read this newest book with Danielle Hammelef, the latest winner of my Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up “Make Me Read It” giveaway. Danielle chose to make me read Girl Giant and the Monkey King by Van Hoang. I read the […]

Posted March 9, 2022 in Dual Reviews, Reviews / 5 Comments

YA Reads for Black History Month (and Beyond!): Daughters of Jubilation and Ain’t Burned All the Bright

Today, I’m focusing on YA books with Black protagonists for Black History Month, but these books are great reads any time! In addition to those two reviews, scroll down to see one other book recommendation as well. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction. Daughters of Jubilation is a story of power and the ways it can be wielded for both good and evil. Having grown up in the […]

Posted February 23, 2022 in Reviews / 6 Comments