The Biased Bibliophile

Book Review: One Last Stop

Genre: Romance, Magical Realism Rating: ⭐⭐

Please don’t hate me! I know everyone LOVED Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and there has been so much hype about One Last Stop, but it was definitely not the book for me! Full transparency: I have not read Red, White, & Royal Blue, but I requested this book through NetGalley because of all the excitement around it and because, you guessed it, the cover drew me in. Unfortunately this book fell far short of my expectations.

First off, if you don’t already know, One Last Stop is not simply a romance novel, but also incorporates magical realism. Almost without fail… I absolutely abhor magical realism. Yes, okay, I know it was totally on me to see what the genre of the book was before I picked it up, but what can I say? I am a sucker for a pretty cover! Anyway, as with many magical realism books, this novel felt unrealistic, cheesy, and annoying. Essentially, the main idea driving the plot in the novel is that the protagonist, August, falls in love with a girl, who is literally trapped on the subway… literally.

While the romance was cute at times, it felt weird because the two characters obviously held different levels of power over one another, which made it awkward. I also felt like these issues were never really fully addressed, which again, felt uncomfortable.

Furthermore, I don’t mean to exaggerate, but this book was mind-numbingly slow and felt like it took forever to read. Similarly, a lot of the events throughout the book were a little random and didn’t contribute to the overall stories at times. For instance, August spends the majority of the novel trying to find a way for Jane to get off the subway, but a little more than halfway through the book she seemingly decides that planning a party to save the restaurant that she works at is more important than saving the love of her life!?! A lot of events felt like this throughout the book: unnecessary and confusing.

The one aspect of the novel that I did enjoy was the sense of family that August found in her friends and the diverse representation seen in many of the characters in the book. Many of the side characters were extremely lovable. In fact, I probably would have preferred reading Nikos’ and Myla’s love story as opposed to August’s and Jane’s. Wes was cynical in an endearing way and Isaiah and Annie Depressant gave off a vibe that makes you feel like you want to be their friend.

Overall, I simply think One Last Stop just wasn’t the right book for me. As someone who rarely enjoys magical realism and since the novel was slow, I felt like I had to force myself to read it. That being said, the book was written technically well and I certainly think others will likely enjoy it.

Book Review: What We Devour

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for allowing me to review an ARC of What We Devour by Linsey Miller!

Based on the synopsis of this book, I really had high hopes for What We Devour! It’s basically about a girl who lives in a Kingdom where some people have magical abilities based on immortal spirits that attach themselves to mortal beings. The protagonist, Lorena, is unique because she has both a vile and a noble spirit attached to her, which is extremely rare. When the crown prince discovers Lore’s uniqueness, he essentially kidnaps her to help him research a magical door that separates the Vile from the human world.

Unfortunately, this book was so convoluted and poorly executed that the end result was very disappointing. The entire book read as if it were a rough draft and events would happen with no explanation. People would randomly show up somewhere unexplained or die without any warning. It felt like the author had a vague outline of a plot and decided to publish that. Honestly, I was shocked when I read that this is Miller’s 5th book.

Additionally, the characters were under-developed and had unexplained relationships with one another. For instance, it seems logical that Lore should feel some animosity towards the prince after he basically kidnaps her, but she is totally chill about it. In fact she willingly helps him and quickly seems to develop a friendship and romantic relationship with him. While this type of relationship is commonly written in fantasy, it should be gradual and reasonable. Lore’s entire relationship with Alistair made absolutely no sense, granted I appreciated that they could understand one another’s point of views.

Furthermore, there were a lot of plot holes and terminology that needed explaining. This book has a very complex magical system that probably needs at least 3 books to thoroughly introduce the reader. While I became more familiar with some of the terms throughout the novel, it was extremely confusing to be introduced to so many concepts with brief explanations. For most of the book I couldn’t consider the actual story because I was too befuddled about the terminology and magic: wroughts, wrights, vilewrought, vilewright, noblewrought, noblewright, sigils, bindings, the Vile, the Noble, Chaos, Order, etc. All these terms flooded me with vague information and made it practically impossible to understand the majority of the book.

Similarly, a major concept in the book is that sacrifices allow a person’s vilewright to basically do magic, but the sacrifices made no sense. If a person sacrifices their sense of pain to heal a wound, how is that a sacrifice? I can understand sacrificing happy memories, or something that actually hurts to lose, but the sacrifices in the book did not make logical sense half the time.

Finally, the characters’ physical descriptions in the novel were definitely a strong point. The author clearly put a lot of work into that aspect of the novel, which allows the reader to vividly imagine what the characters would look like. The author also had some impressive lines, such as, “Laws are not justice.” I think these lines where the characters deliver powerful messages made the book better.

While I was mostly disappointed with this novel, I do think it had potential. Although the characters needed more development, they were unique and original. I’m sure no author wants to hear criticism about their books, but the good thing about What We Devour is that it has a strong starting point and could be fantastic with some development and serious editing.

Fantasy Friday: The Stolen Kingdom

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

While browsing through the available titles on Libby, I could not pass up The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme when I saw the gorgeous cover! I started reading the book in the midst of also trying to finish multiple other books, but I simply could not put this book down. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a compelling novel!

There were so many likeable aspects of this book, and I felt like it was equally driven by the characters and the plot, which I really enjoyed. The book is told from alternating perspectives: Maralyth, who is the daughter of the owner of the biggest vineyard in the kingdom, and Alac, who is the frequently overlooked prince, second in line for the throne. Maralyth and Alac are thrown into difficult and dangerous circumstances throughout the novel that leave them questioning their aspirations in life and their duties.

If you’re looking for another world to escape into, this book is definitely for you! With an interesting magic system, morally questionable characters, and royal kidnappings, what more could you ask for? While there wasn’t necessarily anything that made the novel especially unique, it is the type of feel-good fantasy book that I truly adore reading!

Book Review: The Box in the Woods

Genre: YA Mystery Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐3/4

Me before reading The Box in the Woods: Do we really need another Truly Devious book…?

Me after reading The Box in the Woods: Okay, Maureen Johnson, where’s book 5!?!?

A special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s books for allowing me to review this ARC!

The first 3 novels in this series follow the protagonist, Stevie, throughout the course of a year at Ellingham Academy. During that year Stevie works on solving the Ellingham mystery. In The Box in the Woods, however, we see Stevie in a completely different setting, as she is invited to a summer camp where a quadruple murder occurred in 1978. The first three books in this series were good, but felt like they were missing something. After reading The Box in the Woods, I think that something was momentum. The 4th book in this series moved at a quicker pace and definitely kept my attention throughout the entirety of the novel.

First of all, Stevie is as lovable as ever in my opinion. I know she has some oddities, but that makes her all the more likeable to me. Who wants to read about a perfectly confident teen who has all her ducks in a row? No one! The awkwardness and uncertainty of Stevie is endearing and relatable, which made the book that much more compelling.

Similarly, the book goes back and forth between present time and when the murders occurred in 1978. While switching between two time periods can be extremely difficult to write, Maureen Johnson pulled it off flawlessly. In both sections I felt completely immersed in the time period that was being described and the mystery of the box in the woods pulled me in from the outset.

Another aspect of the novel that I have to address is Maureen Johnson’s impeccable ability to describe details. Some authors use minimal description and let readers fill in the blanks and come up with their own picture, but Maureen Johnson does the opposite. The lucidly clear details that Johnson incorporates give such a vivid and consistent image to the reader. The book felt really immersive for this very reason. I could picture the characters and the setting, down to the minute details of the changes in time periods to the changes in the weather. I admire Johnson so much for this talent, because, as a reader it is more meaningful to be able to “see” Stevie throughout the story. Absolutely phenomenal descriptive work in my opinion.

Finally, while reading The Box in the Woods I definitely got some Scooby Doo vibes (and I completely mean this as a complement)! While it was a little cheesy at some points, it felt right. The compulsive need to keep reading and the overall mysterious tone of this book made it an outstanding read. I’m not sure if Maureen Johnson has plans for a 5th book (or maybe even more), but I could see this series continuing on with many more successful books! In the mean time, you can get yourself a copy of The Box in the Woods on June 15th!

Book Review: Sisters of the Snake

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A debut fantasy novel about twins and written by twin authors? Count me in! I recently read an ARC of Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua from NetGalley. Not surprisingly the cover is what originally convinced me to pick up the book, and I’m sure glad I did!

Basically, the book follows Rani and Ria, twins who were separated at birth. One is the beloved and sheltered princess of Abai, while the other is forced to turn to thievery in order to survive. When the two meet, they jump at the chance to escape their problems and attempt to improve their lives, but they start to discover that the grass is not always greener on the other side. While trying to hide their true identities they ultimately realize that they must forge their own paths in life, but what will that look like?

This book had all the adventures and magic that make up a good fantasy novel, but it also had some aspects that make it stand out from other fantasy novels in my opinion. First of all, Sarena and Sasha explain in a note to the reader that they wanted to write a book about twins and incorporate aspects of Punjabi culture into the novel. I can honestly say that they more than accomplished this goal. Reading the novel not simply from two different perspectives, but specifically from twins’ perspectives really made it unique. It sharpened the contrasts between the main characters, but also showed how alike they were, despite living vastly different lives.

Similarly, the authors painted a vivid picture that gives readers a window into Punjabi culture. Although the book technically took place in a fictional world, the aspects of Punjabi culture that both authors included made the story feel extremely genuine and real. Adding on to that, the descriptions in the novel were so detailed and in depth, that a reader who is largely unfamiliar with Punjabi culture, is still able to grasp a stark image of the characters and their environment.

Additionally, I really enjoyed the theme of writing your own destiny, but my one criticism is that this concept could have been more uniformly present throughout the entirety of the novel. While I truly adored the idea that the characters were not doomed to live out a destiny that was set in stone, I also felt like there could have been clearer emphasis on this from the outset of the novel. Honestly this detail is really minor because there is not much to critique about this lovely novel in my opinion!

This book is perfect for all fantasy lovers, especially anyone wanting to read about diverse characters and cultures. The plot and character development unite to form a wonderful and riveting story that you certainly don’t want to miss out on!

What’s Your Favorite Book?

Not your top 10 favorites or your favorite book in a specific genre. What is your all-time favorite book? Well, similar to many other bibliophiles, I could not answer this question with only one title… until 2020. I was desperately in search of a book with a bird on the cover for the 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge. I couldn’t find a book that actually sounded interesting and I was dying to read something unique. Then, I came across a book that would change my life: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, who is a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor!

Now, to be completely honest, after reading the synopsis of Hollow Kingdom I was not thrilled, but thought it definitely would fit the category of being unique. Essentially, the novel is about a domesticated crow name Shit Turd (S.T. for short) and his doggo friend, Dennis, navigating the challenges of the zombie apocalypse. I know, I know. You just thought to yourself, “What the hell, she’s lost her mind.” But I promise you I haven’t and neither has the genius of a writer, Kira Jane Buxton.

Never before have I read a book that made me laugh as many times as this book. Never before have I read a book that made me cry as hard as I did while reading this book. S.T. starts out as a slightly annoying, yet lovable character, but just a few chapters in, you’ll want to abandon the guise of being a normal person and start shamelessly searching the internet for Shennis/Dennurd t-shirts and manically inspecting your backyard for a crow that you can befriend. Shit Turd + Dennis=the best friend duo ever! Sorry, I think my fangirl is showing.

Not only is Hollow Kingdom absolutely hilarious, it is immensely profound and addresses challenges that most people face in their life. As a crow that was closely acquainted with a human, S.T. identifies more as a human than a crow. However, the adversities S.T. faces during the zombie apocalypse force him to acknowledge that he is a crow. Throughout the novel, S.T. struggles with his identity.

How can he be a crow while still honoring his human upbringing? Can his human side persevere even though humanity itself seems to be doomed? How does S.T.’s human and crow sides relate to the rest of the world? Kira Jane Buxton answers all these deep and meaningful questions and more through S.T.’s experiences and hardships and I promise you will literally laugh out loud in the process.

Normally I simply offer my insight into books I think you either should or shouldn’t read, and I let you decide whether or not to pick up the book. Today, I am telling you, your life is not complete if you have not read Hollow Kingdom, which is an absolutely magnificent story, written by the most brilliant and kind author. As always, please check the content warnings on The StoryGraph before reading. While Hollow Kingdom is literally the best book ever written, it is also heart wrenchingly beautiful. The pain is 100% worth it to experience such a heartfelt novel!

Book Review: Last Chance Books

Genre: YA Romance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

What more could you ask out of a romance novel, other than romance? Well, Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey has romance and so much more!

✔ Bookish nerdiness

✔ Breaking gender stereotypes

✔ Promoting growth through body positivity

✔ Emphasizing the importance of consent

On its surface, Last Chance Books is an adorable enemies-to-lovers novel about Madeline, who aspires to one day own her family’s indie bookstore, and Jasper whose family owns the chain bookstore across the street. When a prank war breaks out between Madeline and Jasper, Madeline is forced to ignore the attraction she felt towards Jasper in order to saved her family’s bookshop. This book is most certainly a feel-good romance, but it is also so much more than that, which truly makes it stand out from other romance novels.

First of all, my inner book nerd had many fan girl moments throughout the novel. Reading as a fellow book lover, Madeline’s love of books was so relatable and gave an intense emotional depth to the story. While some of the jokes in the novel might be a little dated, the bookish nerdiness left me wanting more!

While I did think the enemies part of the enemies-to-lovers trope was a little too much, I was definitely rooting for Jadeline by the end of the book (and I’ll admit that Jasper did make up for some of his deviousness)! The chemistry between Madeline and Jasper was definitely a slow burn, and had me yelling at the book and avoiding responsibilities just to find out what would happen.

Madeline’s character was just about perfect in my opinion. I adored her awkwardness and was annoyed by her immaturity and naiveté, but these very traits conveyed her age, and the stress that most teenagers go through, in a vividly genuine way. Honestly, the novel would not have been as compelling without Madeline’s character flaws, and seeing her grow throughout the novel added another interesting component on top of the cute romance.

For me, the novel really shined due to 3 minor aspects that Rodkey included: Body negativity that grew into acceptance, the subtle breaking of gender stereotypes, and the emphasis on consent. Throughout the novel, Madeline frequently makes comments about gaining weight and generally feeling uncomfortable in her body. At first, I was sincerely frustrated by this aspect of the book, but as the novel goes on, Madeline starts to become more accepting of her body. I really appreciated this aspect of the story because she didn’t go from a negative self-image to completely loving herself, but made small yet significant changes, which was more realistic.

Additionally, Rodkey wrote multiple instances in which she broke gender stereotypes. For instance, one of the cisgender, straight male characters aspires to be a fashion designer. At another point, a mother figure in the novel assures on of the characters that there will be other people that they could have a relationship with later in life. People, not boys or girls. Not only were these stereotypes broken, the response of the adults in the novel to the breaking of these stereotypes was typically acceptance, which I think, is so important for both adults and young adults to see.

Finally, Rodkey referenced consent multiple times throughout the novel. At one point, two characters were joking about a book, and one said that the woman on the cover was probably seducing the man, to which the other character replied something along the lines of, “consent or bust.” There were multiple implicit and explicit references to consent, which I think is such an essential concept to include in novels, especially YA Romance novels.

Overall, Last Chance Books was a classic, cute YA Romance novel that incorporated important social issues that should be more prevalent in novels, especially YA novels. If you are looking for a light-hearted romance novel that also subtly tackles relevant problems in our world, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Last Chance Books, which comes out next Tuesday, May 18, 2021!

Book Review: Strangers

Genre: Suspense, SciFi Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

My lovely friend, Jaymie, and I recently buddy read Strangers by Dean Koontz. This is definitely not a book I normally would have read, but it was such a fun experience reading it with a friend!

Essentially, the novel is based around a group of strangers that start having peculiar psychological abnormalities. One woman blacks out after seeing a pair of black gloves, another man starts sleep walking, and yet another suddenly becomes severely afraid of the dark. Towards the beginning of the novel, they realize that something happened to them, and their memories were somehow repressed. The majority of the book follows the characters in their own, separate lives, as they only meet up toward the end of the book.

While I have mixed feelings about the length of the book, it was a pretty good read! At some points I thought the story could have been conveyed in a much shorter novel, but at other times I truly appreciated the length because it gives the reader an in-depth look into the characters’ lives. That is perhaps the greatest strength of the novel, the character development.

I will say that every chapter of this book had me wanting more! Koontz makes it strikingly clear that there is a huge secret that will be revealed at the end of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to maintain suspense throughout the entirety of the novel. In hindsight, I did think the final reveal did not completely explain some of the characters’ previous behaviors. This revelation caused improbable reactions in some of the characters in my opinion. For instance, one of the characters was able to let go of traumatic experiences that she went through as a child, but I don’t think what happened explains this reaction.

Overall, a pretty good book that keeps you on your toes! If you’re looking for a book with interesting characters and a lot of suspense, then Strangers is definitely for you!

Book Haul

More books that will likely sit on my shelf for months, or even years, before I actually get a chance to read them.

We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal: I recently bought Faizal’s debut book to support her after hearing about another author who basically tried to destroy Faizal’s career. Then I saw her on one of the panels for the St. Louis Teen Book Festival, and I immediately bought the sequel to her debut. These two are definitely books I’m hoping to read within the year!

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco: Chupeco recently spoke up about a popular YA author who was bullying other authors based on race and/or religion. My library doesn’t have The Bone Witch, so it was a perfect excuse to buy her book and support an author who is speaking up about important issues.

Blood Sworn by Scott Reintgen: I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I also saw Reintgen being interviewed during the St. Louis Teen Book Festival, and he had me at “completed duology.” Then, when he mentioned that his duology is about phoenix horses that are reborn every day, I knew I needed his books immediately. Blood Sworn is the second book, but I picked up the first, Ashlords, from The Novel Neighbor yesterday !

Tales From Hinterland by Melissa Albert: I actually won this book in a giveaway! I was so excited because I already had the other books in the series on my TBR shelf.

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards: I have read and enjoyed all of Natalie D. Richards’ other books, so this one was an easy choice for me!

Hood by Jenny Elder Moke: I am a sucker for any kind of retelling and the cover of this book certainly drew me in. I’m not going to lie, I definitely bought it without reading the synopsis!

Appreciation Post: Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy

QOTD: What were some of the books that got you into reading? Tell me in the comments! 👇🏻

AOTD: I vividly remember first reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor in my high school book club. I absolutely fell in love with the book and the genre of fantasy. Honestly, who better to introduce a person to fantasy than Laini Taylor, who not only has a brilliant talent for world-building, but also writes in such a poetic way?

It’s been a while since I’ve read the books, but the new Illumicrate editions have me wanting to do a reread! I rarely buy multiple editions of the same books, but I certainly couldn’t pass these beauties up!