Mini(bot) Reviews: Red, White & Royal Blue

Every one and a while I like to remind y’all that it’s possible for me to like YA and romance. In this case, the book combined the two and I loved it!

Mini(bot) Reviews: The Starless Sea

It feels like it’s been a lot longer than it has since I finished this book. But it’s been long enough that I feel like I’m playing catch-up still and that I’ve forgotten most of what I wanted to say originally.

Mini(bot) Reviews: Summer of Salt

Popping in quick to share my thoughts on a magical YA book with queer characters and the depth and character development I see most often in middle-grade.

3 (More) Things I Loved About Kim Reaper (Volume 2: Vampire Island)

Kim Reaper Volume 2: Vampire Island
By Sarah Graley

My Edition:
Paperback, 110 page
2019, Oni Press
ISBN: 9781620106372

Kim and Becka are back! The two are trying to find time to date, but Kim’s terrible schedule as a part-time reaper is really making things hard. Not to mention, Becka really wants her best friend Tyler and Kim to get along, but it doesn’t seem to be working. In an effort to support Becka and Tyler’s love of Vampire Teen Drama (their favorite show), Kim takes the gang to Vampire Island. Only things don’t quite go as planned…

You might recall my first list of reasons why I enjoy this comic. I’m back to tell you even more reasons why I love this series.

Book Review: Jolly Foul Play

Jolly Foul Play
By Robin Stevens

My Edition:
Paperback, 347 pages
2018, Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781481489102

Daisy and Hazel are back at Deepdean for another term after their adventures on the Orient Express. But the year is shaping up to be unpleasant under the regime of the new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and her five Prefects. When Elizabeth is found dead after a fireworks display, Daisy and Hazel team up once more to solve the case. School staff believes Elizabeth’s death to be an accident, but the Wells & Wong Detective Society believe otherwise – plenty of girls had a motive to murder Elizabeth, and the girls mean to find out who did it.

The more of these books I read, the more I love this series. I know they’re hitting US shelves a few years behind the UK releases, but I hope this series continues for a long time!

Judging A Book By Its Cover: Bloom

This is my weekly post where I highlight beautiful books from my collection. We all judge book covers to some extent (don’t lie, you totally do!) I created this feature to showcase and admire the art and design elements of some of the books I own. If covers didn’t matter, publishers wouldn’t make so many wonderful editions!

Mini(bot) Reviews: Empire of Sand & Aquicorn Cove

Sometimes I want to review a book, but I don’t have all that much to say. Rather than push myself to come up with a review that I didn’t enjoy writing (and likely you didn’t enjoy reading), or not mention the book at all, I’ll post a mini review.

5 Things I Loved About Kim Reaper

Kim Reaper (vol 1)
By Sarah Graley

My Edition:
Paperback, 110 pages
2018, Oni Press
ISBN: 9781620104552

Kim, like most students, has a part-time job while she attends university. Only her job a little out of the ordinary – she’s a grim reaper! Newly hired and human, Kim is relegated to only reaping animal souls. When a classmate, Becka, follows Kim through a portal in order to ask her on a date, the two get up to more trouble than they can handle.

Comics can be tough to talk about without giving too much away, so I wanted to do something different this time. I’ve compiled a quick list of all the things I love about the comic (spoiler: it’s basically everything).

Book Review: The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker
By Jen Wang

My Edition:
Paperback, 283 pages
2018, First Second
ISBN: 9781626723634

Prince Sebastian has a secret – he enjoys wearing dresses and moonlighting as a fashion maven called Lady Crystallia. When he discovers talented seamstress, Frances, Lady Crystallia gains even more renown for her bold looks. But Frances yearns for her talent to be recognized and Sebastian’s parents are putting pressure on him to marry. Sebastian can’t hide his secret and his designer forever…

I received this as a Christmas present from Chelsea and I had to read it the same night it arrived. I’ve heard good things about this graphic novel and it didn’t disappoint! I love Wang’s art style and the story was both moving and funny!

Book Review: Her Body and Other Parties

Her Body and Other Parties
By Carmen Maria Machado

My Edition:
Paperback, 245 pages
2017, Graywolf Press
ISBN: 9781555977887

This collection of shorts focuses on women, the lives they lead and the experiences they have, simply because they are women. Many have a dash of supernatural, paranormal or horror elements, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

After reading Help Me Follow My Sister Into the Land of the Dead (a short included in a PageHabit box), I enjoyed the way Machado blended a paranormal situation into our current reality and I was excited to discover more of her work. While I enjoy her tone and style, this collection as a whole underwhelmed me.