Young Adult

Review of Noragami 9 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD

Ebisu and Yato finally meet the woman who has what they’re looking for, Izanami. She agrees to give them the Word of Yomi if one of them will stay with her forever. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Guard have learned Ebisu’s whereabouts, and they’re on their way to mete out divine retribution.

Review:
Izanami is one scary lady. I loved her duality of appearance, and the food of the underworld trapping people being reminiscent of mythology I’ve more experience with. Most of this book was spent just trying to understand Ebisu and why he’s gone through all of this for the ability to change things with the Word of Yomi.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Noragami 8 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
FORGET ME NOT

Yato’s free time has ended and now he’s grounded in Takama-ga-hara, forced to do his father’s bidding. Usually, he would play along until he’s set free again, but this time, he must get back as soon as possible, or Hiyori, his one and only follower, could forget all about him.

Review:
Where is Yato?! So many people were left on the hook, and I was so worried that Yukine would return to being a delinquent. I was so pleased to see how he chose to spend his time instead! Hiyori started to have such a different life, and it almost made you wish that perhaps she could have a normal life…

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Noragami 7 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
THE TIES THAT BIND

The fight with Bishamon is over and it’s time for Yato to tie up some loose ends—or cut ties with Hiyori, as he promised Tenjin. But a nameless god like Yato can’t survive unless he remains in someone’s memory. How will he manage once he is removed from Hiyori’s life?

Review:
Yato is stuck with an impossible quest; in saving Hiyori, he’d be dooming himself. There was so much angst in this book, but the ending had me! Couldn’t wait to pick up the next book!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Noragami 6 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
THE BATTLE CONTINUES

As Bishamon overpowers Yato, Kugaha’s plan to destroy her seems doomed to failure…until her medicine wears off, and Bishamon—as well as any shinki she touches—is covered in blight. Meanwhile, Kazuma tries desperately to free himself and Hiyori before she loses her chance to return to the land of the living.

Review:
There was so much tension and worry and fear in this book! Was Yato going to be able to face Bishamon? Why didn’t he tell her the truth about the last time he fought her shinki? And Kazuma was both excommunicated and locked away, so how could he possibly save Bishamon, or Hiyori? I couldn’t put this book down!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Noragami 5 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
TROUBLE IN PARADISE

While Kugaha continues to plot Bishamon’s downfall, Yukiné wonders what happened to his new friend Suzuha. He sees Kazuma leaving flowers at Suzuha’s cherry tree and follows him back to the heavens—right into the enemy stronghold. But when Bishamon attacks, Kazuma is forced to choose whose side he is really on.

Review:
Suzuha!!! While it was really nice to see Yukine have a friend, it was devastating for him to understand what happened. Kazuma is always trying to look out for his mistress, and sometimes, that might mean going against what they think is right.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Noragami 4 by Adachitoka

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Synopsis:
Though a powerful warrior goddess, Bishamonten suffers from taking on so many shinki. Among Bishamon’s many shinki, a terrible plan is formed by one of her most trusted aides. This shinki has dangerous ideas and gets involved with the mysterious Stray. Kazuma has a sense that something is wrong, but can he figure out what exactly is going on? Meanwhile, Hiyori desperately wants Yato to fix her, but he is presented with a solution that is hard to accept. Will Yato fix Hiyori, even if it means he’d have to cut all ties with her?

Review:
This book throws a lot of feelings at the reader, and obviously even more at the characters within. Kazuma tries so hard to be a good guide to Bishamonten but she refuses to listen to him. Because she’s surrounded herself with too many people, how can she really know any of them, or that she’s trusting the right ones? Yato may not want to face his feelings towards Hiyori, but in the end, how can he hold on to her when he has the ability to fix her ailment? I definitely grabbed the next book once this one was over.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Books of Clash Vol. 1 by Gene Luen Yang, Les McClaine, Alison Acton

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Synopsis:
Based on Clash of Clans and Clash Royale and penned by superstar graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, this first volume of this action-packed eight-volume series brings the characters from everyone’s favorite mobile gaming sensation to life!

SEE! The illustrated exploits of one young Hog Rider and his trusted companion in an unpredictable tale of fantasy and adventure!

READ! Their journey from no-good warriors on the battlefield to true heroes of the Royal Arena!

BATTLE! When danger strikes the village of JazzyPickles and its colorful cast of characters in this heartwarming and hilarious graphic novel based on two of the world’s most popular video games.

In this epic new series set in the world of Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, experience a laugh-out-loud tale of friendship and fun!

Review:
This is a silly, goofy book my husband got me when I had mentioned Clash Royale being a game I have played continuously for (now 9) years and yet doubted there was merch for. I thought it was just going to be a silly book with tips and tricks, but it actually has a full on story about hog riders. Not all Hog Riders are the same, and sometimes people don’t have the same ideals. While you can love someone or a group, sometimes you flourish best somewhere that you can just be you. The artwork was really well done, and I really liked the story, which while aimed for a younger audience, can resonate with all.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

** This is the first graphic novel I have ever written a review for! **

Review of Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

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Synopsis:
Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Review:
Theo lives a very sad life. She’s put on display and dressed well, but she is a pawn. I quite enjoyed seeing the various sides to her life; how she has to act and behave and try to keep thoughts and emotions always hidden when she is in the spotlight by the Kaiser. The world was very vibrantly described, and I enjoyed the contrasting descriptions between what Kaiser enjoys and sees as the perfect life versus what life had been like when Theo’s mother was queen. This book was heavily Dystopian in many regards featuring people who pillage and take whatever they want everywhere they go. There are certainly moments of intense cruelty, and very few of true comfort, with surprising allies often revealed just in time. The end of this book made me immediately get the sequel, though I have not gotten back into that world yet.

If you like political intrigue, dark fantasy, and Dystopian fiction, this one is for you.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of When You Wish Upon a Star by Elizabeth Lim

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Synopsis:
What if the Blue Fairy wasn’t supposed to help Pinocchio? This New York Times best-selling series twists another Disney classic into a harrowing story in which the Blue Fairy defies fairy law, setting off a dramatic chain of events.

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight . . . ” So begins the wish that changes everything—for Geppetto, for the Blue Fairy, and for a little puppet named Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy isn’t supposed to grant wishes in the small village of Pariva, but something about this one awakens some long-buried flicker within. Perhaps it’s the hope she senses beneath the old man’s loneliness.

Or maybe it’s the fact that long ago, before she was the Blue Fairy, she was a young woman named Chiara from this very village, one with a simple wish: to help others find happiness. Her sister, Ilaria, always teased her for this, for Ilaria had big dreams to leave their sleepy village and become a world-renowned opera singer. The two were close, despite their differences. While Ilaria would have given anything to have a fairy grant her wish, Chiara didn’t believe in the lore for which their village was famous.

Forty years later, Chiara, now the Blue Fairy, defies the rules of magic to help an old friend. But she’s discovered by the Scarlet Fairy, formerly Ilaria, who, amid a decades-long grudge, holds the transgression against her sister. They decide to settle things through a good old-fashioned bet, with Pinocchio and Geppetto’s fate hanging in the balance.

Will the sisters find a way back to one another? Or is this, like many matters of the heart, a gamble that comes with strings?

Review:
This book was given to me as a gift for my 36th birthday at my crow party. Yes, you read that right, I had all of my friends get together and have a crow party for my birthday. It was greatly entertaining. I likely wouldn’t have picked it out myself as Pinocchio wasn’t a particular favourite story of mine but once I started reading, I could not set it down!

This book gives such great depth and thought to the lives of fairies, and what their lives were like before they began to help people. I really enjoyed seeing how one person could touch so many in a village; there are certainly people like that in any small town who want to help everyone get the most out of life and rise up. I really enjoyed seeing into the past of Chiara and Ilaria; it made the story more enjoyable to have an idea of why this feud was going on between them. While some elements of the story are the same, the why of so many hadn’t been explained previously so it was really neat to have the interwoven previously unknown fairy dilemma to learn of. By adding a magical fight there was a new element that gave more depth to the original fairy tale, and drew me in far more than I have been previously. In the end, it was nice to see that everyone (fairy or otherwise) can learn from their mistakes, change, and grow.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Thorn Season by Kiera Azar

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Synopsis:
In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre–a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.

Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she’s escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father.

Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal—and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth—and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.

With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner—and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation—Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It’s Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she’ll need to become the most vicious of thorns. . . .

Review:
This book was phenomenal. I kept seeing the special edition everywhere and I was tempted, but I have been so set on not buying paper books unless I already read them; trying to have an library of intentional picks, and not just everything that looked remotely interesting when I saw it at xyz store. I am so glad I picked this book up! It was the first thing that really pulled me back into reading after Abby passed away, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. The story is gripping and the characters all have such depth and motives that you cannot help but want (almost) all of them to succeed.

This book has everything: political intrigue, magic, romance. When it comes down to the King and the ambassador, the King definitely has the advantage of being in his home court, but there’s something just so jarring and unpleasant about him. What would life as his queen look like? Alissa doesn’t really want to find out. The magic system implemented was a unique take on energy magic and I really enjoyed seeing all the aspects of what one could do with that. While this is YA there were definitely some moments of tragedy and heartbreak, times where Alissa really had to decide who she was and what she was going to stand for. I certainly teared up at least once while reading. While learning about Alissa and so many different plots encircling the crown one cannot help but feel for almost all of the characters; they have such passion, drive, and desire to lead people to a new life/world where it shouldn’t be dangerous to have a given talent, magical or otherwise.

The ending of this book was both brilliant and the biggest stressor because for the longest time there was no news on a second book forthcoming! With a little digging I have found that it is set to release in Waterstones (UK store) for October 22, 2026, so another book is coming our way!

I highly recommend this to people who love Dark Fantasy, strong heroines, and sprinkle of romance integrally entwined throughout the plot.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

*I have the hardcover pink special edition version, and it is gorgeous.