Category: Fiction

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

I received a free e-ARC of The Mary Shelley Club thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I got the email that I’d won an arc of this book, y’all, I was so excited. The synopsis for this sounded so good and I’m always down for a good thriller-mystery.

In this book we follow Rachel, new to Manchester Prep after an attack at her home leaves her needing a new start. Struggling to fit in, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious and secretive Mary Shelley Club, where members find pleasure in scaring others. But as these members soon find out when they become the target of the pranks, alls fair in pranks and fear. 

The Mary Shelley Club: The Nitty Gritty

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the journey we took throughout the book. I would have liked to get more character background on a few of the characters in the story, but overall what we were given was sufficient. 

Moldavsky did an excellent job showcasing the dynamics of the different members of the group, as well as the different members of the school. We can see how socioeconomic status impacted various interactions and consequently the group and group members’s agenda.

The ending was not quite what I was expecting. I didn’t see part of it coming–which isn’t a bad thing, it just surprised me a little. It was sort of open-ended, which left room for a possible sequel. I think a sequel to this book would be interesting.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, horror movies (or not—I don’t and still enjoyed this book!), and books where you don’t know who you can trust.

The Mary Shelley Club is available for purchase, so hurry to get your copy today!

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

I received a free ARC of Zara Hossain Is Here thanks to Edelweiss and Scholastic (Trade Publishing) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. When I sent in my request, I figured it was a long shot, but I just sent so many hopeful vibes out into the universe. You can’t even imagine my excitement when I got the email saying that I’d been approved to read it. 

Y’all, this book lived up to my expectations. It is SO good. It’s timely and poignant. I had so many emotions while reading this. 

We follow Zara who gets targeted at school because she is a Pakistani immigrant. When she stands up for herself things get worse, for her and her family. Things come to a head when an act of vandalism ultimately ends in violence. Because she dared to stand up for herself and speak out against those targeting her, her family may lose the chance to obtain their green cards. Zara is forced to fight to stay in her community, her home, despite the hatred she’s experienced, or face going back to Pakistan, a place she doesn’t remember but where she wouldn’t face racial and xenophobic hatred.

Zara Hossain Is Here: What I Liked

There are so many things to unpack in this story. So many important issues were brought up in this book and I love that Khan didn’t shy away from any of it just because it is targeted for a teen audience.

The characters were likable and the events that happened pulled at emotions, investing the reader from the very beginning. Our MC had supportive friends, which I appreciated, and they were written well. There was nice representation of bisexuality and supportive parents, as well as non-supportive parents for the love interest. There was a clear message in this book: racism and xenophobia have no room here. 

I encourage everyone to pick up Zara Hossain Is Here. Please read this emotionally charged book.

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard

I received a free ARC of She’s Too Pretty To Burn thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I read the synopsis, I was hooked. It sounded super intriguing. I’ll be honest, I’ve never read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m not sure which aspect was done for the retelling or whether it hit the mark.

This book is interesting, to say the least. We have a trio of characters, two of whom are artists, and one who is a lifeguard. Veronica and Nico are artists and best friends, and Veronica meets Mick, a lifeguard and the object of Veronica—and soon to be Nico’s—affections. 

She’s Too Pretty To Burn: My Thoughts

The dynamics of the main relationship did not feel healthy. I had warning bells going off during some scenes because of the way Veronica was acting around Mick and the things that she said. She didn’t listen to Mick when Mick said no, and she would say creepy things to her. It felt very possessive and toxic.  

The parental presence was lacking. Even when there was a parental figure in the storyline, the actions did not seem as that of a typical adult/parent. As a parent myself, I kept saying “That’s really all her mom is going to say?” or “Really? That’s her reaction?” It felt unrealistic that there was such little parental influence during all this time, especially with Veronica’s mom. I won’t say more because I don’t want to slip into the spoiler zone.

I kept trying to understand the motive or the point to much of what happened in the book but I couldn’t. 

Heard’s writing kept me intrigued, though, and I couldn’t put this book down. I still can’t stop thinking about it, despite the few hangups I had. I recommend checking it out—publication is set for March 30th.

She's Too Pretty To Burn ARC cover title page

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I received a free e-ARC of Firekeeper’s Daughter thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I’d been anticipating this book since I found out about it’s existence, so when I found out I won an ARC, I was so excited. 

Let me tell y’all, it lived up to the hype. I still find myself thinking about this story, Daunis, and the cast of characters we journeyed with even after the last page has been turned. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter: Strengths

I’m a huge fan of strong female protagonists, and Boulley hit the nail with Daunis. She is biracial and a product of teenage pregnancy. Neither side of her family really embraced her, but she is heavily involved with both. She feels like an outsider but is trying to find her place.

I loved the insight to the Ojibwe community that Boulley weaved into the story. The language and traditions that we learned about was such an important inclusion into the story and an important piece of Daunis’s identity. Another aspect that we see is loyalty. Loyalty is shown in many different ways in this book, but we can see it throughout. Women were loyal to each other during a specific tradition even if they didn’t want to participate. Later, toward the end of the book, we see the elders being loyal to Daunis; I won’t say more as it would be a spoiler. Throughout the book, we see Daunis being loyal to her community during her time with the FBI as she’s constantly wondering whether she should tell Jamie and Ron or keep something to herself for a while.

The storyline itself is so powerful. It covers a plethora of issues including violence (gun, domestic, etc.), drug addiction, grief, sexual assault, racism, unfit parents, corruption, and greed. What starts as an investigation into a drug-operation turns into an eye-opening experience for Daunis into the lives of those around her. We’re taken on a thrilling, dangerous, hope-filled ride as we search for answers with Daunis.

Boulley’s masterful telling of Firekeeper’s Daughter is one that won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book. I’ll be keeping Boulley on my radar.

Firekeeper's Daughter ARC Cover Page (blank title)

Indivisible by Daniel Aleman

I received a free copy of Indivisible thanks to The Novl in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this book, we follow Mateo Garcia, a junior in high school whose parents have been taken by Immigration officers. Left to take care of his seven-year-old sister, Sophie, and the family bodega, Mateo has to face the impending reality of his parents possible deportation, and is facing tough decisions. More importantly, he’s left questioning everything he thought he ever knew. How can he make sense of this shame he suddenly feels? Why does he feel like an outsider? What does it truly mean to be an American? 

This is such an impactful and unputdownable read. I devoured this in one day—I just had to know what happened. I know that Mateo and his family’s journey will stay with me for a while.

Indivisible is such an important and timely read. So much of it is thought-provoking and should be used for discussions on what it means to be an American or “legal” citizen. As a History Major, this book particularly resounded with me because I’ve always felt passionately about the debate between legal vs illegal immigrants and the reasons why people come to our nation seeking refuge.

Indivisible: My Thoughts

Aleman did an excellent job describing the feelings that Mateo had when he first found out about his parents detainment. He described the shame he felt, anger, disbelief, and isolation. Aleman continued to describe these feelings throughout the book, and those of the other characters, particularly Sophie’s, as they moved through the process of possible deportation and beyond. He shows the ignorance of those around the Garcias, the prejudiced sentiments, and the fear that the whole Garcia family lives with as they wait to find out what will happen with Ma and Pa Garcia. 

There were a couple of things in the book that gave me pause. I was a little surprised when Mateo and Sophie were able to stay by themselves for so long after their parents were detained. I was surprised that the adults in their life just let that happen. Another part was when Mateo’s friends were so dense and kept making everything about themselves.

This book is so important to read because it gives deportation a face. As Mateo says during Pa’s hearing: (quote is from the ARC, may change upon publication) “When you talk about illegal immigrants, you see faceless people in your mind… You see people with no hearts, with no voices. You see them as an evil force, which is just here to take something from you.” This was such an important part of the story for me because I feel like people forget that “illegal” immigrants are people too. They forget that they came to our country for a reason, for opportunity, for refuge, for any number of reasons. 

Overall, this book was such a good read. It was my first 5 star read of the year. I encourage y’all to pick it up. Publication is set for May 2021.

Indivisible by Daniel Aleman