Genre: LGBT/Historical/YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Library eBook

TW: extreme racism, hate, violence, domestic abuse, sexism and homophobia. 

I don't typically lean towards historical fiction, so this book isn't one that I'd normally choose. However, the synopsis grabbed me, and I really wanted to discover how the love story played out. 

At first, reading this book felt similar to how I feel when reading a classic, something that should be on the education syllabus for schools. In terms of educating yourself about racism and hate, I think it does a great job, showing clearly the damage that can be caused by words. 

"It doesn't show much in the way of brains to decide you don't like people you don't even know. All because of their color." 

I also felt that the depiction of life from the perspectives of both a black girl and a white girl in southern America during this time were painfully realistic and eye-opening.

I do feel that this book would make a fantastic educational tool as it illuminates perfectly the hate and prejudice of the time. It also begins to show how someone who is ignorant and who has been influenced by others can become educated and grow as a person. 

"If something like this happened to me, I'd be shouting by now."

It was very difficult to put down and it's certainly Sarah's plight and pain, and my desire for her to succeed, that made it so compelling. The writing is fantastic, with each voice distinct and unique but I think, for me at least, it was my utter hatred of the white people and my continuous rooting for something good to happen for Sarah that gripped me and pushed me to keep reading. 

"This should be the easiest, most natural thing in the world. Going on a date with a boy. Maybe if I try hard enough it will be."

For much of the book, I didn't feel that Linda was at all redeemable or worthy of Sarah, but the more I read, the more I understood that this book is about self-growth and how, by educating yourself and standing up for what is right, you can become a better person. That being said, I don't feel that she ever did stop being racist and bearing in mind the things that she said and did, knowing full well the consequences of what she was doing, the ending seemed more than a little unrealistic.

I did feel for both characters as they struggled in different ways with their sexuality and with their parents. Again, both very different situations but also similar in how the girls felt that they were unable to be themselves or that they would never be good enough for the people who'd raised them.

"The grown-ups always act like they're the ones who have it hard. None of them knows the first thing about what this is like for us."

This book did fuel my hatred towards people. My anger roiled as I furiously turned page after page, hoping naively for a happier turn of events. But, if nothing else, this book stays true to the period in which it's set and very clearly reflects the issues at the time. 

Having said all of that, this is my review as a white person and so, what I'd like to see is a review from a POC to see how this book really stacks up.

Overall, I do feel that this book would make a fantastic educational tool for young people. But I am cautious that I can't be certain how well this book represents a person of colour and the struggles that were faced during this time, and those still being faced today. 

Genre: Paranormal/YA/Fantasy/LGBT
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Bought

Review by Sophie

TW: Slavery, discrimination, attempted rape, animal abuse.
​
They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin. ​

​Okay, so first things first, I TOTALLY chose this book purely on the look of the front cover. I loved the whole slightly Gothic and dark feel the design gave off, and so I jumped straight in. 

Before starting, I had no idea that it was kind of a retelling of Dracula, but from his brides’ point of view. This is a story of sisterhood, female love and relationships, and the utter brutality that is life. It's about bravery and heartfelt sorrow. I love the idea, and its an intriguing back story, although I just wish this book was a little longer with a few more chapters to give it that depth that I feel it's ever so slightly missing. 

First, we meet Lil, I love how she’s so harmless and sweet, living in the shadow of her twin and more than happy to let her fiery and passionate sister Kizzy make the decisions and run towards danger. 

On the day that they are captured into slavery, Lillai is anticipating the outcome of her diving day to see what future awaits her and Kizzy. The girls are part of a small group of travellers who keep to themselves and appreciate what nature provides for them. I like how the writer describes and really shows the hate and discrimination towards travellers, how others perceive them as being lesser, not deserving common decency, and sadly this rings true as an issue not just in fiction.

I absolutely love the character personalities in this book. You have Kizzy and Lil who appear to be like yin and yang, the strong and fearless mixed with the shy, quiet and easy-going. Then we meet Mira, a slave who’s truly been brutalised and tortured, yet still manages to find kindness in her heart, especially towards Lil. Their relationship is cute and heartwarming, and honestly just makes you melt. 

Soon we meet the cruel and heartless Boyar Valcar and hear whispers of the Dragon, known to be myth and legend. I was a bit annoyed that there wasn’t more detail surrounding these characters. I know the story is intended to focus on the girls, but I would have really liked more detail surrounding the Dragon, just to give a better idea of him and his personality. 

Now, if you’re lucky enough to have a sister or best friend, you can appreciate and completely relate to the bond and relationship that Kizzy and Lil have. How they endlessly defend each other and have a mutual understanding of how the other feels. 

I really liked reading The Deathless Girls, it was easy going in terms of pace, perhaps a little too easy-going maybe? I think it only took me a day to finish. It has a good flow and pace, and the ending really just leaves you wanting more. 

I'll be completely honest and say that I did expect and want more than this book delivered. I felt that there was some detail missing and it wasn’t quite as dark as I had anticipated. However, the ending was brilliant, and somehow still caught me off guard. 

I really hope that there’s more to come from The Deathless Girls. 

This cold has me feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment but since I can't sleep, I figured re-reading some of my favourite *comfort* stories would do the trick. 

This book was actually an accidental re-read since I'd forgotten that I'd already read it back when I had my Kindle Unlimited subscription and so I bought it again and got a sense of deja vu pretty early on. 

However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. While it is very short (I read it in just over 2 hours), the characters have great chemistry, depth, and there's just enough plot to keep things interesting. 

The book really only features the two main characters, with very few and brief appearances from minor characters which works in its favour, keeping the story on track and the tension building throughout. 

I love how naive and clueless Fielding and Mick seem to be, Mick especially, but what I love most is how their relationship progresses with relatively little amounts of drama and angst. 

“I want you to teach me how to kiss,” Fielding said in his most arrogant voice. It came out as a demand, like Fetch me the lamp from the sideboard, wench.

For me, this was the perfect, sweet as sugar, grin-inducing book that had me smiling despite the fact that I can only breathe through one nostril.

If you're a fan of innocent, clueless characters and slow-burn romance reminiscent of Anyta Sunday, you'll love Blame it on the Mistletoe.  

TW: Abandonment and homophobia. 

You'll have to forgive me for the poor quality of this post as I'm struggling with a stupid cold right now and my eyes really hurt. It's a little ironic that I started listening to this audiobook a few weeks back when I was sick and now I'm under the weather again just as I've finished it - I blame the crying and the emotional turmoil this book put me through.

I've read a few of TJ Klune's books now and while his books always pack an emotional punch, I think the narrator, Sean Crisden, did a particularly fantastic job of bringing that emotion out through his voices for Bear, Otter and Ty. I also really liked his voice for Creed while I found Anna a tad annoying (both in character and voice). 

I'm not sure how authors like TJ Klune manage to pack so much emotion and pain into a book and yet still have the ability to make you laugh, even through the heartache you share with the characters. 

I haven't yet read a TJ Klune book that hasn't made me cry, or at least brought me very close to tears and Bear, Otter, and the Kid was no exception, I found myself sobbing into my pillow during certain scenes and then laughing out loud, usually at something Bear or Ty said, at others. 

Bear is a fantastic character. He has so many depths and I love the storm and earthquake imagery the author uses to illustrate his anxiety and fears. It's a theme that builds throughout the book and is a beautiful metaphor for his inner turmoil. 

Bear and Ty (the Kid) have a beautiful relationship and I love Ty's intelligent humour. The little eco-terrorist is my favourite character and so reminiscent of Artemis in The Bones Beneath My Skin. I love the way that TJ writes kids and I cannot wait for his upcoming book, The House in the Cerulean Sea for this very reason. 

Otter is also a wonderful character and his evolving relationship with Bear and his dedication to both Bear and the Kid is moving and powerful to behold. 

TJ has written a book containing so much pain (a lot of it via Bear's mother - god, I hate her) and this book had me holding my breath in so many places, just hoping and wishing that everything would work out (this author has a habit of being mean to his characters and readers!) but I'm going to spare you a spoiler and let you find that out for yourself. 

Overall, this is a book that I fell in love with, with characters that made me laugh and cry. It's a heavy book, but at the same time it's light and with love, laughter, and family at its core. If you love TJ Klune, if you love heartfelt, meaningful and emotional romances, this is the book for you. 

If you're looking for a bloody spectacle of a book with more 'boobs and blood' (Jay Kristoff's words, not mine) than its prequel,  you'll love Godsgrave. 

At the beginning of this book, we rejoin our heroin but not where I expected to. The first half of the book jumps between the present day and four mounts prior and leaves you doing a lot of guesswork as to what's going on and why. 

Mia is still on her quest for vengeance and blood and it leads her in new directions and to new, shocking revelations.

What I love most about Mia is her 'couldn't care less' attitude and I think, in particular, the way that Jay Kristoff writes her sexuality (and her self-discovery) is really beautiful (not a word often used to describe this series) but the fact that when Mia recognises her sexuality and just accepts it, without a thought of what anyone will think, it's just perfect and personally, I want more bisexual heroines like this. 

I'd waited a while since finishing Nevernight to read Godsgrave (I wanted to read it closer to the Darkdawn release - more on that later) and I was so excited to get back to the characters that I'd grown to love in book one, but what I hadn't expected was so many amazing new characters that really made this book something special. 

I'm going to start with my absolute favourite new character Sidonius who is an absolute legend. I love him and his crass, no filtered mouth and personally, after reading this book I just want someone to be proud enough to call me a 'magnificent little bitch!'

The author introduces several other characters; Maggot, Bryn and Byern, Wavewalker, Bladesinger, Furian, Arkades and Dona Leona - all fantastic (and terrible) in their own ways and fantastic additions to the cast. 

I loved each and every moment with these characters including the unexpected surprises they delivered at the end. 

​Now, I have rated Godsgrave at 4.5 stars instead of 5 and that's simply because I enjoyed Nevernight more. Nevernight blew me away, I'd never really read anything like it and it both shocked and thrilled me. 

With Godsgrave there were certain parts, and please don't hate me for saying this, that felt a tad predictable and a few revelations that I'd already guessed back in book one and so, whilst the characters themselves deserve the full 5 stars, for me at least, the book itself didn't grab me quite as much as Nevernight but it was still an immersive, thrilling second book of the trilogy and I'm both excited and terrified of what's yet to come. 

Last night was the Manchester stop on Jay Kristoff's Darkdawn book tour and I was lucky enough to grab two tickets for my partner (also a huge Jay Kristoff fan) and I. 

Let me just say that the 1.5 hour drive to Manchester was not enjoyable in the slightest, neither is driving in central Manchester - why do pedestrians just walk in the middle of the road and where the hell are the road markings???

Anyway, after holding our breaths as we dodged pedestrians, trams and other vehicles, we finally made it to Deansgate Waterstones in time for the event. 

Listening to Jay Kristoff was a slightly surreal experience. I've read a few of his books (admittedly not that many); Nevernight, Godsgrave (which I finished at 1:30am the day of the event) and Illuminae (which is incredible) and I was almost nervous to meet him if that makes sense; you know what they say about meeting your heroes. 

But Jay was fantastic, he was incredibly funny, intelligent, kind and witty and hearing about his methodology (writing Godsgrave in Venice), his inspirations (Roman history/politics and Ludovico Einaudi) his funny anecdotes (like the time he almost died in Venice, and getting his wife to proofread his sex scenes) and gaining a little insight into the mind behind these incredible books was a fantastic experience and well-worth the wait, even if we sadly couldn't get any of our books signed due to the massive wait time (5 year old girls will wait for no one, even someone as talented as Jay Kristoff). 

Now I'm off to try and pry Darkdawn from the hands of my partner who stole it while I wasn't looking! 

Welcome to my stop on the All Boy blog tour. 

​Since reading The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick last year, I've been looking forward to reading her next release and I'm so excited to be sharing this review with you! 

A very big thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to review the book and participate in the tour.

Keep reading to check out the synopsis, my review and for your chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card (open internationally!)

Rating: 4 STARS

Genre: LGBT/YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: ARC from Xpresso Book Tours

Seventeen-year-old Callie Canter knows all about screwing up—and being screwed over. After her so-called boyfriend publicly humiliated her senior year, taking a fifth year of high school at Beaufort Hills Academy is her second chance to leave behind a painful past. But her need for social acceptance follows, and going along with the in-crowd is the difference between survival and becoming a target. Staying off the radar is top priority. So, falling for an outsider is the last thing on Callie’s “to-do” list. Too bad her heart didn’t get the memo.

With his strict, religious upbringing and former identity far away in Florida, Jayden Morrissey can finally be true to himself at Beaufort Hills Academy. But life as a trans man means keeping secrets, and keeping secrets means not getting too close to anyone. If he can just get through his fifth year unnoticed, maybe a future living as the person he was born to be is possible. Yet love is love, and when you fall hard enough, intentions crumble, plans detour, and secrets are revealed.
​
From multi-award-winning author Mia Kerick, comes a powerful, timely, and life-changing novel, which follows two teenagers nursing broken hearts and seeking acceptance, and who together realize running away isn’t always the answer.

TW: Transphobia, sexual abuse, humiliation, mental health, bullying

I have to start by saying that (as you can see from the trigger warnings above) Mia Kerick has written a book that is full of pain and that was very difficult to read - but that's by no means a bad thing. Now, I'm not the best person to say whether this book dealt with the subject matter in the ‘right’ way necessarily but it was a powerful and enlightening read.

One of the reasons I read so many different genres is to find as many different stories and voices as possible and All Boy does not disappoint. 

I'd braced myself somewhat for this book after reading The Princess of Baker Street earlier this year but it's still not easy to digest what the characters have to face and overcome. 
 
For the most part, I found Callie’s character really difficult to bear, I almost hated her at times and some of that was due to seeing parts of myself reflected in her (self-hatred is anything but a breeze) but also at her ignorance and self-destructive nature but (without giving too much away) her development arc is something to be admired. 
 
Jayden is a stunning character with so much strength and heart and I would have preferred to read more chapters from his POV. It's Jayden who broke my heart in this book, the truth and reality of his story and his pain bleeding from the pages was almost unbearable at times and my heart ached for him.
 
Callie and Jayden’s stories, both together and as individuals, are very compelling to read, everything they have to face and overcome and the story as a whole gives a very powerful insight into life as a trans man.
 
At times I felt that some of the dialogue was a bit too scripted, too formal and not realistic for the age group but the pacing of the story was good and the themes tackled well, at least in my opinion.

One of the shining characters for me in this book was Lauren who's almost the personification of acceptance. She delivers some beautiful truths to Callie and is a great friend and ally. 

Overall, this was a really powerful and painful read that deals with sensitive topics and delivers important messages of self-acceptance, doing what's right and above all, that love is love. 

Click the cover photo above to add the book to your Goodreads TBR and enter below for your chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card! The giveaway is open internationally so everyone can enter and it's hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. 

Don't forget to click the banner at the top to follow the rest of the tour and feel free to leave your comments below :) ​

And finally, for something a little different, why not check out the book trailer below:

Genre: LGBT/YA/Graphic Novel
Series/Standalone: Heartstopper #2
How I got this book: Bought

TW: Homophobia.

If you haven't read Heartstopper Volume One yet, you can catch my review here. 

This is going to be one of those short and sweet reviews because, besides saying how much I truly love this graphic novel, I'm not sure how else to convince you all to read it!

I thought that Heartstopper Volume One was good, but this is even better. So many more cute, mushy feelings. As always Alice Oseman's illustrations are beautiful, the story is so sweet and Charlie and Nick are both likeable and compelling. 

Alice also does a fantastic job of making you care about the supporting characters and their stories and we're treated to a fantastic snippet from another story at the end of this book. 

The storytelling and voices are relatable and current, making the whole thing speed by far too quickly! I can't wait until I have every volume and can read through from start to finish!

If you're looking for queer, YA romance with tons of inclusivity and rep that'll make you feel warm and gooey on the inside, you need Heartstopper in your life. 

Genre: Contemporary/LGBT/YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Bought

This might be my absolute favourite book of the year so far and it's easily my top Pride Month read! 

I was in a bit of a funk when I picked up this book, but Simon James Green (and Alex) managed to flip my bad mood on its head. 

This book is a riot, I started laughing on the very first page and I don't think I stopped until long after I closed the book. 

Alex, like Noah before him (if you haven't read Simon's debut novel Noah Can't Even, you can find it on Goodreads here!) I adored Noah, but I LOVED Alex in Wonderland! 

Alex is so instantly relatable with his shy awkwardness and his extremely bad luck that was so familiar it was unsettling. 

I love the English seaside setting, reading about the pier, the mini doughnuts and, of course, Wonderland itself made me crave the seaside so much (I haven't been for years) that it inspired me to take my family to New Brighton Beach last weekend so that my four-year-old could experience the joys of playing in the ocean, sand between your toes and the intoxicating thrill of the 2p machines! 

Alex in Wonderland is so many things; a coming of age story, a first-love story, a friendship story and a mystery. It also tackles sexual identity and diverse representation through Alex, Efia and Ben and divorce through Alex's family in a way that keeps the pace moving and the story so much fun to read.

Simon James Green writes with a fantastically comedic, authentic voice and brings Alex's character tripping off the pages. I also really enjoyed the other characters in this book; Alex's step-mum (who I loved to hate), Lemon Boy (the second pizza restaurant scene had me shaking with laughter), Ben (and his dimples), Efia (and her meddling) and Maggie (who's sarcastic and crazy but caring at heart). 

​Without giving too much away, the only part of this book that I didn't like too much was the ending, Alex deserved to be treated better, much better! 

Overall though, this was the perfect summer read. It's light, incredibly funny, relatable and so awkwardly-romantic you'll be biting back a grin the entire way through! 

Now, I'll just be sitting her not-so-patiently waiting to see what awkward, adorable muppet of a character Simon James Green blesses us with next.