The Biased Bibliophile

Book Review: The 716

Genre: YA SciFi Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rep: LGBTQIA+

Every now and then an indie author reaches out to see if I would be willing to read and review their book, and I absolutely love these interactions! Connecting with indie authors is one of my favorite parts of being a book reviewer, and it was no different when S.J. Pratt reached out to see if I would read her book, The 716. I have to say, this is one of the most memorable and underrated scifi books I’ve ever read!

The 716 is a futuristic novel that completely obliterates gender stereotypes. Olivia and Andy couldn’t be more different. Olivia was raised to eventually take her mother’s place as the leader of their society, while Andy is told he will never be more than a house-husband. However, Olivia and Andy have more in common than they think; they both want to be an engineer. While Olivia is told her dream is beneath her social status, Andy is told that his head is in the clouds, wanting to do a woman’s job.

I could go on an on about this book for days, but my favorite part of the book was the way it incorporated feminism and highlighted the obstacles women face in our own society by attributing them to men in the novel. The small details were perfect, such as vehicles being referred to as “he” instead of “she” and “resting b@stard face,” which will forever change my usage of the phrase it was created from. These details showed how closely Pratt thought this novel through, and made it feel even more authentic.

Additionally, the bigger details of the novel were wonderful as well! For instance, in Olivia and Andy’s society, nursing and teaching are considered prestigious careers that women should aspire to. Pratt makes a huge statement suggesting that teaching and nursing should be viewed as more valuable than they are in our society. Similarly, the way she suggests that only women could do these jobs in the novel, brings up the absurdity of associating certain jobs with certain genders in real life.

Another detail that I truly appreciated was Olivia’s brother, Will’s, outrage that men are not included in medical trials in the novel. I think it is shocking when people find out that many medical trials in reality do not include women, which ultimately kills women. Will in general was a great character, and I really related to his perspective and desire to fight for change.

Furthermore, Pratt tackles sexism head-on with her characters in The 716. Multiple times in the novel Olivia is forced to confront her sexist views. I absolutely loved that she made the mistake of acting sexist towards Andy, because this mirrors the way that people are sexist in real life. Even better though, was the fact that Olivia took the time to reflect on her behavior and realize her wrongdoings.

Finally, I enjoyed the fact that Pratt included people with various gender identities. While the focus at the beginning of the novel is on the unfair and unequal treatment of men, she further develops this theme to include trans, nonbinary, gender fluid, and people across the gender spectrum. It was not only heartening that she included everyone, but also that Andy discovered new gender identities along his journey towards equality.

Honestly, I feel like my review doesn’t even begin to convey how wonderful this book truly is. On top of all the major issues it brings to light, it also has fun characters, a complex world, and a solid plot. I especially think fans of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer will love this book, but truthfully I think pretty much anyone and everyone that enjoys scifi or YA will absolutely adore it!

ARC Review: How to Heal a Gryphon

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rep: Plus sized, Italian

After reading an excerpt of How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity for me to follow through on my goal of reading more Middle Grade novels. I have to say, this book was one of the best (if not the best) MG novel I’ve ever read!

The story follows Giada, a young girl who feels pressured to follow in her family’s footsteps and become a magical healer, but who secretly wishes to heal animals instead of people. When her brother is taken by evil witches, she will do anything to bring him home again, but her journey is much more difficult than she could have imagined.

By far, my favorite aspect of this novel is that Giada is plus sized and confident. There were many details throughout the book where she showed that she loved her body. For instance, at one point she mentions that she wouldn’t want to lose her soft stomach. It is extremely refreshing to read a book with a girl who is plus sized and who also feels comfortable in her skin.

Similarly, Giada portrays a healthy relationship with food, which is important for young girls to read about. She doesn’t drown her feelings in food, but at the same time, she isn’t afraid to eat bread, or ask for whipped cream on her ice cream. Again, this is so rare to see in a novel, and I can’t help but to imagine all of the girls who will feel empowered through Giada.

Furthermore, as if the body positivity wasn’t enough, this story was absolutely wonderful! I adored Giada’s relationships with her many animal friends, especially Sinistra, her cat familiar. The way Giada found meaning in the many professions of witches was endearing, and her courage to say what she wanted to do with her life was beautiful. I also loved that the author mentions she worked with someone of Italian descent to ensure that she was portraying the culture accurately!

Overall, there were so many great things about this novel! Whether you typically read Middle Grade or not, I highly recommend this book. Especially if you have a young girl in your life who needs an inspiring role model! This book is perfect!

Book Review: The Newlyweds’ Window

Genre: Short Stories Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rep: POC

After reading Send Her Back by Munashe Kaseke, which was published by Mukana Press, I was interested in the Mukana Press 2022 Anthology of African Writing, The Newlyweds’ Window. I try to read books that have diverse characters, written by diverse authors, so this anthology sounded fantastic. As a whole, it was definitely one of the best anthologies I’ve read!

The stories are all from different genres, and I thought I wouldn’t like this feature, but I ended up loving it! The anthology still felt cohesive and the different genres actually added more depth to the book. Many of the stories left me wanting more, and wishing that each author had published a whole book instead of a short story!

My favorite thing about the anthology was that the stories elicited such strong and varying emotions. I felt everything from fear and disgust to outrage and lonesomeness; from thoroughly creeped out to heartbroken. Most of the stories were so simple, yet so effective in conveying emotion, and that made it a very powerful book.

Honestly, it’s hard to pick my favorite stories from this anthology, but if I had to choose, I would say “The Daya Zimu” by Vanessa Nakayange, “Rain” by Muuka Gwaba, and “This is for My Aunt Penzi, Who—” by Idza Luhumyo were my top 3. These stories were so inventive and unique! I highly recommend this book, especially because it combines immense talented with the representation of overlooked authors!

ARC Review: The River of Silver

Genre: Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rep: POC, Gay

Ironically, I recently picked up The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty for the exact reason the author wrote the book; I was going through personal issues and I needed some familiarity in my life. Like Chakraborty, I was excited to revisit a world I already knew and loved. The River of Silver turned out to be the exact mixture of comfort and adventure that I needed!

The book is an anthology of short stories that take place in the same world as Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy. There are stories for many of the characters we all know and love, that span a huge time period, from before the other novels to after them. It also included an alternative ending to The Empire of Gold.

Once again, I find myself at a loss for words to adequately describe the immense talent that Chakraborty so clearly has in abundance! I love that she decided to revisit this world and expand on so many of her characters. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t feel as connected to this book since the stories follow quite a few different characters, but that worry was completely unfounded. I ended up loving that I got a deeper look into the histories and lives of characters I already knew, especially Hatset’s and Rustam’s stories.

My favorite part of the book is that it is so immersive just like Chakraborty’s other books. I truly felt like I was in Daevabad while reading, and that feeling of escaping reality is indescribable. Likewise, I have only found a handful of authors who have this uncanny ability to fully transport their readers to another world.

Chakraborty has a solid place among my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi when it comes out next year!

ARC Review: Writing Gatsby

Genre: Nonfiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

After reading William Elliott Hazelgrove’s books about the Titanic and Cassie Chadwick, I was so excited to see he was publishing a book about F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby! The book was certainly enjoyable, but didn’t necessarily live up to the other two I’ve read by Hazelgrove.

I absolutely love the idea behind the book, to tell the story of how The Great Gatsby became one of the greatest American novels ever written. One of my favorite parts was reading about the publication process, and finding out that the novel gained popularity during WWII through Armed Service Editions. The fact that this novel that everyone knows and loves might have been unheard of if it weren’t for this book giveaway during WWII is astounding!

Furthermore, I thought Hazelgrove captured Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald exceptionally well in his writing. While I knew a little bit about the couple before reading this book, I didn’t know a lot, and Hazelgrove really made them come alive. Similarly, I appreciated that their depictions were not sugarcoated. While that made me like them (especially Scott) less than I did before, it was important that the book stayed true to their personalities.

That being said, I think the book was a bit unclear in some aspects. For one, it is not written in chronological order, which normally doesn’t bother me, but it was a little difficult to follow. Likewise, I enjoyed the fact that some of Scott’s and Zelda’s quotes from their books were included, but it was not apparent at the beginning of the book that these quotes reflected their relationship and real-life experiences. It would have been better if Hazelgrove had shared at the beginning of the book that Scott and Zelda later stated that some of their fictional works applied to their lives.

Finally, after reading the entirety of this book, I’m not sure that the title is completely accurate. While it is about the process of writing and publishing The Great Gatsby, it seemed like that took a backseat to Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s tumultuous relationship. Although this was still an interesting topic, it was not altogether expected based on the title.

As a whole, Writing Gatsby by William Elliott Hazelgrove was pretty good! His books about the Titanic and Cassie Chadwick are in another category in my opinion, but this was definitely worth the read!

ARC Review: Forestfall

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐ Rep: Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian

After absolutely loving Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel and conclusion, Forestfall! The book picks up where Lakesedge left off, Leta made a deal with the Lord Under to save everyone and mend the corruption. Unfortunately, the deal did not go as planned, and she ends up stuck in the World Under. The book revolves around her efforts to return to the World Above.

Devastatingly, I did not enjoy Forestfall very much. By itself, it is a great story, but the plot made absolutely no sense after the events of Lakesedge. Leta develops a romance with another character in the book, and this was the main issue I had. Not that someone can’t be in love with two people at once, but Leta’s love for this character in the second book was simply illogical and contradictive from what we know about her from the first book. This issue really influenced my opinion of Forestfall, and was the main reason why I didn’t like the novel.

That being said, Clipstone’s writing is absolutely poetic and lyrical. There are not many authors that have the talent to write such beautiful prose, and that was Forestfall’s one saving grace.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to those who enjoyed Lakesedge. Like I said, the story is good, it just doesn’t make sense as a sequel to Lakesedge.

Book Review: Promise of Shadows

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After reading the Dread Nation duology, and loving it, I immediately added a bunch of Justina Ireland’s books to my TBR list! I finally got the chance to read Promise of Shadows for Black History Month, and it was absolutely fanatastic!

The book is about Zephyr Mourning, a young Harpy (mythical being that is half human and half bird) who was literally sent to Hell after exacting revenge on her sister’s killer. When her friend Cass sees the chance to escape, they go on the run, but after rumor of the Nyx, a goddess foretold to save all beings in the mortal realm, Zephyr quickly realizes that her adventure may be more grand than she ever imagined.

I adored so many aspects about this book! First off, I thought the characters were well-developed and very likeable! Zephyr specially evolves throughout the novel, which was enticing to read. Additionally, the supporting characters were both complex and added a lot to the story. Tallon, Blue, Alora, and Cass were all interesting to read. I particularly felt connected to Cass, and thought both her background, and the direction her story goes in, was compelling.

Furthermore, the plot was action-packed and captivating throughout the entirety of the book. The whole premise of the book was interesting, but Ireland did exceptionally well at executing the premise, and further developing it throughout the novel. I sometimes feel like books rely too much on their premise, and the authors don’t always build off of that first idea, but Promise of Shadows was the opposite! There were also a few small plot twists that added to the allure of the story!

Finally, the romance in the book was perfect for my taste. It was relevant, but at the same time didn’t take over the rest of the story. There were some cute scenes, and nothing explicit, which is what I enjoy reading. The character Zephyr ends up with complements her personality well, and I enjoyed their history that was included.

Overall, Promise of Shadows is simply one of those wonderful fantasy books that just draws you in! I was so excited to read another impressive book by Justina Ireland, and I can’t wait to read more by her!

ARC Review: Shadowsphere

Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Shadowsphere takes place after Bewilderness, but the contents consist of a character telling a story that takes place before the events of Bewilderness. In the novel Tavarian and Dexius are enemies from the same mountain village called Rethia. The Council that governs Rethia needs rokenstones to help improve the productivity of the town, but only a few citizens can breath the air of Rootcore, the unknown land below the mountain where the rokenstones are. When both Tavarian and Dexius are chosen to descend the mountain they are excited to become the hero of their town, but also not looking forward to spending time together.

While I absolutely loved Bewilderness, Shadowsphere was good, but not necessarily great. I think the main thing that bothered me was that it tells the backstory of a character from Bewilderness, but that was not apparent at first. I would have preferred to know this ahead of time, as I would have immediately felt more invested in the story.

The story was interesting, and once the characters started their adventure, I felt more immersed in the novel. It was a little slow starting off, and a few of the action scenes were a little confusing.

That being said, I really liked the characters, and the growth of the MC throughout the book was phenomenal. The characters relationships with one another were complex and tumultuous, and the found family trope was perfection!

Furthermore, I enjoyed the greater themes of corruption and the questions of morality that arose throughout the book. Although the plot was a little predictable, I thought it was interesting to feel like I knew more as a reader than the MC did.

Overall, I was expecting Shadowsphere to be a continuation of Bewilderness, so I was a bit surprised, but there were many compelling aspects to the story!

ARC Review: The Christmas Clash

Genre: YA Romance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Rep: POC

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park, is a cute rom com about Chloe Kwon, a young Korean American girl, whose family owns a café in Riverwood Mall. Unfortunately, Chloe’s nemesis, Peter Li, is never far away, as his family owns a competing restaurant in the food court. When the mall is in jeopardy of being demolished, the two must work together to save their family’s livelihoods.

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was really excited to read it! It sounded similar to Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, which was adorable. While The Christmas Clash was cute, it fell a bit short of my expectations.

I will say that many of the characters were well-written. Park did a fantastic job with Chloe’s and Peter’s character development, and they both felt very distinct and unique. Similarly, both Chloe’s and Peter’s friends also had memorable personalities. I enjoyed the fact that the friends in the story stood out instead of feeling like part of the background. Chloe’s friends especially were very supportive of her, and I loved that they knew her so well!

Sadly, I was expecting more from this story than it offered. It’s clearly supposed to focus on the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I felt like neither the enemies aspect, nor the lovers aspect, were done well. At the beginning of the novel, when Chloe and Peter are allegedly enemies, they are swapping dinners from their families restaurants. That, along with other details, suggested that they weren’t truly enemies to begin with. Likewise, the romantic tension was practically nonexistent, both before and after they became lovers.

Other than that, nothing about the book necessarily stood out to me. While I read an ARC version, a lot of the writing was incomprehensible, which drew my attention away from what was happening in the novel. As a whole, not my favorite read this year.

ARC Review: My Name is Ona Judge

Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rep: POC

Typically I am the one to recommend books for my mom, but she recently read The Girl at the Back of the Bus by Suzette D. Harrison, and couldn’t stop gushing about it! So, when I saw My Name is Ona Judge by the same author on NetGalley, I quickly requested it!

The book is written from two perspectives, Ona Judge, who lived as a dower slave to Martha Washington, and Tessa, a close family friend of Ona’s descendants. When Tessa accidentally finds Ona’s diary, she gets a glimpse into a life she could never imagine, and learns some life lessons herself.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is that it is based off of a true story! Ona Judge Staines was one of Martha Washington’s slaves, and escaped to live in freedom for the rest of her life. Prior to reading this novel, I had never heard of Ona, and I loved that Harrison took the time to share such an important part of history. Hopefully Ona Judge will be a household name like Harrison mentions in the novel.

Additionally, I felt as though Harrison told both Ona’s and Tessa’s stories in such an eloquent way. While there are many books about slavery, I don’t think I’ve ever read one from the perspective of a child, so that truly made this book stand out. Similarly, I thought it was important that the novel addressed significant issues, such as colorism and the belief that slaves working in the house had it easier. Ona’s story dispelled the common belief that all slaves working in the fields had more difficult lives, and encouraged readers to recognize that all slaves faced different types of adversity.

Furthermore, Tessa’s story amplified the power in Ona’s story, but also stood on its own. The fact that Tessa found bravery through reading Ona’s diary was inspiring, and I liked that she did not compare her experience to Ona’s, but was still able to find the wisdom in Ona’s story and her own.

Overall, I will certainly be checking out Suzette D. Harrison’s other books! My Name is Ona Judge was a wonderful novel that speaks on both past and current issues in our society!