noun [kee-smash] a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication:
Since I seemed to have found a strange sort of obsession with fluffy teen romances in my mid-20s, I have been reading more and more Young Adult Romance novels. And this year, I Love You So Mochiby Sarah Kuhn really hit the sweet spot for me!
An absolute sweet treat, I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn is a delightful, heartfelt story about discovering your identity, reconnecting with your roots, mending bridges between your family members, and finding love along the way.
This might be my first book review of The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi, but it is the second time I am reading the story. And once again, I find myself absolutely in love with the glamorous, dangerous world that Roshani Chokshi has created.
Set in the 1890’s, during France’s Beautiful Era, The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is a thrilling, fantasy heist story that deeply explores the gruesome exploitation of Western colonization and systematic racism.
Having read Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch trilogy, I knew I was in for a treat. Let it be known that my expectations for this book were VERY high, and Rin Chupeco surpassed them all!
Spine-tingling, creepy, and ominous, The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco is a terrifying horror story about a mysterious boy trying to guide a team from Hollywood as they try to film real footage of a cursed island in the Philippines, one where they say a powerful god sleeps, awaiting eight sacrifices that would wake him so he can remake the world.
As a big fan of all things science-fiction and fantasy, I was super excited to get my hands on Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin–an upcoming, Filipino-inspired, young adult fantasy novel about an orphaned teenage girl who must step up to bring peace to a war-torn world.
Set in a lush, vibrant tropical world–one where dangerous beasts roam the earth and humans are forced to build entire villages and cities amidst giant spreading trees—Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin follows a young girl named Seri, who is hired as an assistant for Eshai, a battle-hardened legendary commander whose life is dedicated to protecting humans against the attack of beasts.
However, Seri’s world quickly turns upside down when she runs into Tsana, a mysterious girl who can communicate with these wild beasts and seems to be in league with them.
In a world full of uncertainty, sometimes we need a little reassurance that dreams do come true, and true love and happily ever afters can indeed happen, no matter how difficult the journey may seem. And never has there been a TV show that made me as hopeful for my own happily ever after as Jane The Virgin.
An absolutely jaw-dropping and riveting novel that perfectly tackles all the ugliness of systematic racism, Ace of Spades is a terrifying and addictive story about two talented Black kids trying to survive in a world that is hell-bent on bringing them down.
After the epic cliffhanger inA Torch Against The Night, my expectations for A Reaper At The Gates by Sabaa Tahir were pretty high. Fast-paced, and with a much better world-building and character development, this third book was definitely unforgettable. Here’s my quick review below.
What an absolutely fantastic story! Dark, whimsical, and with just the right amount of humor and vitriol, Violet Made Of Thorns by Gina Chen is an epic fantasy that takes all the typical tropes of fairy tales and throws them out the window.
Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice
I have so much to say about this book.
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is the kind of book I describe with words like “enchanting” and “intriguing” instead of my most commonly used adjectives in my book reviews like “exciting” or “amazing”. There really is no better description for this book. This is not the kind of fantasy that will steal your heart away with a fast-paced, action-packed plot, badass heroines and swoon-worthy heroes. Continue reading “Review: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch 1) by Rin Chupeco”→
This review contains spoilers from the first book. Please do not read any further unless you have read City of Bones. You can find my review of City of Boneshere.
The second book of The Mortal Instruments series was a conflicting book for me–on one hand, I enjoyed it immensely, and thought it was much more well written than the first book. On the other hand, there was a certain problematic element in the book that I believed was never acknowledged: the incestuous relationship between Clary and Jace. Continue reading “Review: City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments#2) by Cassandra Clare”→
