[Review] Will Save the Galaxy For Food by Yahtzee Croshaw

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Series or Stand Alone: Jacques McKeown #1

Release Date: 14 February, 2017

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Space Opera/Science Fiction/Parody

ISBN: 9781506701653

Edition: Paperback (available in eBook, and audiobook)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 6 August, 2020
Warnings: Death, Violence, Sexual Tension

Summary:  

A not-quite epic science fiction adventure about a down-on-his luck galactic pilot caught in a cross-galaxy struggle for survival! Space travel just isn't what it used to be. With the invention of Quantum Teleportation, space heroes aren't needed anymore. When one particularly unlucky ex-adventurer masquerades as famous pilot and hate figure Jacques McKeown, he's sucked into an ever-deepening corporate and political intrigue. Between space pirates, adorable deadly creatures, and a missing fortune in royalties, saving the universe was never this difficult!

See more by Yahtzee Croshaw at his website.

[Review] A Song of Wrath and Ruins by Roseanne A. Brown

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Series or Stand Alone: A Song of Wrath and Ruins #1

Release Date: 2 June, 2020

Publisher: HarperAudio (an imprint of HarperCollins)

Genre: African Fantasy/Fantasy/Young Adult/Young Adult Romance

ASIN: B07XM8PJ9B

Edition: Audiobook (available in eBook, and hardback)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 6 August, 2020
Warnings: Death, Violence, Sexual Exploits, Magic

Summary:  

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal - kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic...requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a heart-pounding course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

See more by Roseanne A Brown at her website.

[Review] Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

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Series or Stand Alone: Rise of the Empress Duology #2

Release Date: 6 November, 2018

Publisher: Philomel Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House)

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

ISBN: 9781524738310

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

Rating: ★★★★☆

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

Summary:  

This fairy tale retelling lives in a mystical world inspired by the Far East, where the Dragon Lord and the Serpent God battle for control of the earthly realm; it is here that the flawed heroine of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns finally meets her match. An epic fantasy finale to the Rise of the Empress novels.

Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as Empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn't want the crown, she knows she is the only one who can dethrone the Empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all. But will the same darkness that took Xifeng take Jade, too? Or will she find the strength within to save herself, her friends, and her empire?

Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with breathtaking pain and beauty, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is filled with dazzling magic, powerful prose, and characters readers won't soon forget.

Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this page-turning read.

See more by Julie C. Dao at her website.

[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.