[Review] Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

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Series or Stand Alone: Rise of the Empress Duology #1

Release Date: 11 September, 2018

Publisher: Speak (An imprint of Penguin Random House)

Genre: Folklore/Fantasy/Asian Fantasy/Legends/Fairy Tale Retellings

ISBN: 9781524738310

Edition: Paperback (available in hardback, eBook, and audiobook)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 6 August, 2020
Warnings: Death, Mild Sexual Scenes, Violence

Summary:  

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her.

Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high? Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with both breathtaking pain and beauty, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns possesses all the hallmarks of masterful fantasy: dazzling magic, heartbreaking romance, and a world that hangs in the balance. Fans of Heartless, Stealing Snow, and Red Queen will devour this stunning debut.

See more by Julie C. Dao at her website.

[Review] Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

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Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 10 March, 2020

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Genre: History/Antiracism/Racism

ISBN: 9781549184253

Edition: audiobook (available in eBook and hardcover)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Deals with topics of racism

Summary:  

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

See more by Jason Reynolds and Imbram X Kendi at their websites.

[Review] Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

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Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 19 March, 2019

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Folklore/Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Legends/Fairy Tale Retellings

ISBN: 9780062933553

Edition: Paperback (available in hardback, eBook, and audiobook)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Death, Mild Sexual Scenes, Violence

Summary:  

Robin of Locksley is dead.

Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiancé.

Who is there to stop them?

Marian never meant to tread in Robin’s footsteps—never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood.

See more by Meagan Spooner at her website.

[Review] The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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Series or Stand Alone: Hunger Games

Release Date: 19 May, 2020

Publisher: Scholastic Audio

Genre: Action & Adventure/Post-Apocalyptic/Romance

ISBN: 9780374307097

Edition: Audiobook (available in eBook and hardcover)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Death, Torture, Inhumane Conditions, Experimental Science

Summary:  

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

See more by Suzanne Collins at her website.

[Review] The Night Country (Hazel Wood #2) and The Boy Who Didn't come Home (Hazel Wood #1.5) by Melissa Albert

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Series or Stand Alone: The Hazel Wood

Release Date: 7 January, 2020

Publisher: MacMillan Audio

Genre: Fantasy/Folklore/Fairy Tale retellings/action/adventure/romance

ISBN: 9781250246240

Edition: Audiobook (available in eBook and hardback)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Death

Summary:  

Can you ever truly escape the Hazel Wood?

In the sequel to her New York Times bestselling, literary/commercial breakout, The Hazel Wood, Melissa Albert dives back into the menacing, mesmerizing world that captivated readers of the first book. Follow Alice Proserpine and Ellery Finch as they come to learn that The Hazel Wood was just the beginning of worlds beyond, “a place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth, and the world as it appears false, and where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a good book” (The New York Times).

See more by Melissa Albert at her website.

[Review] Sea Witch (Sea Witch #1) by Sarah Henning

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Series or Stand Alone: Sea Witch series

Release Date: 31 July, 2018

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retellings/Fairy Tales/Romance

ISBN: 9780062438805

Edition: Paperback (available in Hardback, eBook, and audiobook)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Death

Summary:  

Wicked meets "The Little Mermaid" in the captivating origin story of the sea's most iconic villainess, perfect for fans of Heartless and Dorothy Must Die.

Ever since her best friend Anna died, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. Hiding her talents, mourning her loss, drowning in her guilt.

Then a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears on the shore, and the two girls catch the eyes of two charming princes. Suddenly Evie feels like she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But magic isn’t kind, and her new friend harbors secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad—or on two legs—without Evie’s help. And when Evie reaches deep into the power of her magic to save her friend’s humanity—and her prince’s heart—she discovers, too late, what she’s bargained away.

See more by Sarah Henning at her website.

[Review] Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke

Cover image from the goodreads website.

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: 28 April, 2020

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genre: Fantasy/Norse Mythology/Arthurian Legend/Action & Adventure/Folk Lore

ISBN: 9780374307097

Edition: Hardcover (available in eBook and audiobook)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 9 July, 2020
Warnings: Death

Summary:  

In this gorgeous standalone companion to the critically acclaimed fantasy, The Boneless Mercies, April Tucholke spins a bold and blood-hungry retelling of the King Arthur legend that is perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Garth Nix, and Laini Taylor.

On the heels of a devastating plague, Torvi’s sister, Morgunn, is stolen from the family farm by Uther, a flame-loving Fremish wolf-priest who leads a pack of ragged, starving girls. Torvi leaves the only home she’s ever known, and joins a shaven-skulled druid and a band of roaming Elsh artists known as the Butcher Bards. They set out on a quest to rescue Torvi’s sister, and find a mythical sword.

On their travels, Torvi and her companions will encounter magical night wilds and mystical Drakes who trade in young men. They will sing rowdy Elshland ballads in a tree-town tavern, and find a mysterious black tower in an Endless Forest. They will fight alongside famous Vorseland archers and barter with Fremish wizards. They will feast with rogue Jade Fell children in a Skal Mountain cave, and seek the help of a Pig Witch. They will face wild, dangerous magic that leads to love, joy, tragedy, and death.

Torvi set out to rescue a sister, but she may find it’s merely the first step toward a life that is grander and more glorious than anything she could have imagined.

See more by April Genevieve Tucholke at her website.