February was a loooong month even though it was technically the shortest. Somehow I only got 4 reads in. I guess I got a liiiiittle distracted by the new Netflix show Love is Blind. However, those four books were pretty great, so I’m excited to share some quick reviews!
1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
One line summary: An origin story for Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I hesitated to write that one line summary because somehow I . . . didn’t realize that this was the Queen of Hearts' origin story until towards the end of the book? However, I think most people go into it because of that fact, so I don’t think it’s a spoiler. Honestly, I’m just supremely stupid so even if you didn’t know the premise going in you’d probably figure it out much more quickly than me.
ANYWAY, I had heard such mixed things about this book, so I was nervous to start. I didn’t have super high expectations. But I absolutely love every book by Meyer I have read, so I was excited to try it. Meyer did not disappoint. She really makes you love and empathize with the main character Catherine as she’s stuck in a really tough situation. I was totally rooting for her the whole time, even if she is imperfect. I also really liked the romance between her and Jack. He was so charming and I shipped it hard.
One thing this book did well was the setting. Meyer took a world we already know and depicted it in a beautiful way. She introduced new aspects to the world, called back to others we were familiar with, and even integrated some other fairytales to round it out. I fell in love with the way she approached worldbuilding in this book, which made the whole thing feel whimsical and fun.
But it is still a villain origin story, so don’t expect everything to be fluffy and innocent. I can see why others might not like this book as much as her Lunar Chronicles series, but they are very different and serve different purposes. If you are looking for a fun, quick standalone, I recommend this one.
2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
One line summary: A girl with the power to kill no longer wants to be the king’s puppet.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For some reason I originally gave this book four stars, but upon returning to this review I added a star. It was so fun, and I loved the characters that Cashore crafted. There is a slow part towards the end for which I originally docked a star, but when I think back on this book I have only fond memories. It’s a very simple, straightforward, classic fantasy tale, and for that I loved it. It wasn’t necessarily trying to be epic and special.
The story follows our protagonist Katsa as she grapples with her ‘grace’ to kill. The magic in this story was a wonderful touch. I especially loved Po’s magic, but his grace is a spoiler so you’d have to read to find out for yourself. Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this book besides the fact that it is incredibly well-crafted and fun. Bonus points because the audiobook is a full cast.
3. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
One line summary: After accidentally painting the autumn prince with human features, a young human artist is whisked away into the world of fae to right her wrongs.
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh man, this book was exactly what I needed. I know I’ve said this about the others so far, but this book was FUN. It was short, sweet, and romantic, and I am craving more! The fae world described in this book was so beautifully written, and it felt both properly pretty and dangerous--just like the fae. I am not a huge fan of the whole fae craze, but this book made me super interested to read similar stories. So if anyone has recommendations I am all ears!
4. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
One line summary: A non-binary teen is kicked out of their home when they come out to their parents.
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I adored this book. I had seen some buzz about it on Twitter, so when I saw that it was available at my library I picked it up on a whim. This is the first book I’ve read with a non-binary main character, and I think it does a great job of delving into NB issues for teens. I love that this book showed Ben as a whole person--they were more than their identity, but their identity affected so many other aspects of their life. There is also some good rep for anxiety in this book, and I appreciated seeing Ben going from apprehensive to seek therapy, to understanding their condition and wanting to learn how to best manage it in a healthy way.
Overall, this book was a great read. It touched on tough topics while still feeling kind of light and fluffy. However, if you are triggered by things like queerphobia, traumatic coming-outs, or panic attacks, I wouldn’t recommend this one to you. This is likely a text I’ll keep in my classroom library some day, because I think it could be tremendously beneficial for teens to read.
Plus the romance is so cuuuuute.
-
And that’s all for last month’s wrap-up! I had some good fun standalone reads, and I really needed them because last month was kind of rough for me. But I’m hanging in here and hopefully March will be much more productive.
I also want to shout out a book I recently reviewed, Immersive, by Becky Moynihan! I spent much of February reading this arc, though I didn’t complete it until March. Check out my full review here, but TLDR: it’s a fantastic ending to one of my favorite series. Immersive comes out on March 10th so make sure to grab a copy!
Peace out y’all,
Grace K.