Category: YA

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

A Shot At Normal by Marisa Reichardt

I received a free e-ARC of A Shot At Normal thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

The synopsis for this book hooked me the very first time I read it. This book is very timely and poignant. The subject matter of the book, to vaccinate or not vaccinate, is considered controversial, but I think if it’s executed well, it can make for good discussion and thought.

As a mom, I read this with a different perspective because I was able to think about myself in Juniper’s position, as well as her parents’s position. Because of this, I think this personal experience made the reading experience more unique.

A Shot at Normal: My Take

I liked how Reichardt showed the internal struggle that Juniper was dealing with. We know how badly Juniper feels about the measles and the outcome of that, and her vehemence on wanting to be vaccinated. But we also see her grappling with the possible consequences of getting vaccinated and what that would mean for her relationship with her family.

There were a few things that I thought could have been executed better. The relationships in the book all felt like insta-love. Her relationship with Nico, her friendship with Tess, etc. They met Juniper and instantly they were best friends or perfect for each other. It just didn’t feel authentic for me. I also wish the behavior of Juniper’s parents was discussed. They ignored Juniper when they found out she was petitioning them for vaccine rights. I just wish that the behavior had been discussed with perhaps Nico’s mom or Mimi or someone. It was unhealthy.

One aspect of the book that was challenging and I think could potentially be problematic for younger readers (I’m an adult reading YA) was that the argument Juniper’s parents made against vaccines evoked too much sympathy and it did make you feel like maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Overall this was an interesting read. I enjoy reading about controversial subjects and I got that with A Shot At Normal. If you’re looking for a book that touches on the vaccine vs anti-vaccine debate, this is for you!

A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt

The Seelie Queen by Kortney Sizemore-Gallagher

I received a free eARC of The Seelie Queen thanks to the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

From reading the synopsis on Amazon, it’s unclear to really get the complete gist of the book. It is not inaccurate: this story is about a teenage girl, Adella, at her third new school in a year having to deal with extraordinary challenges. But it doesn’t let us know that we will be dealing with magical and mythical beings, contrasting and perhaps conflicting kingdoms, and so much more. I think this definitely should have been included, as it’s very important to the story but also so intriguing! 

I’ll be honest: stories about Fae and the like typically aren’t what I read. There isn’t necessarily a reason why, I’ve just never really gravitated toward them. After reading this story, however, I’ve started to rethink my choices.

The Seelie Queen: What Did I Think?

I really liked that Sizemore-Gallagher centered this on a female character. I love my strong female protagonists and not only did she make Adella her protagonist but she made her “sidekick,” Anna, a strong badass too! Anna was actually my favorite character. She was strong, smart, and her personality felt recognizable. 

There were a couple of points in the story that didn’t quite make sense to me or were confusing. Some seemingly important plot points were not mentioned again. At the end when the narrator was switched, it took me a minute to realize this because it wasn’t indicated.

I really liked the worlds that were created in this novel. I thought the concept of people drawing energy from contrasting sources was so unique. Also, the fact that one person could have both qualities or share aspects from both kingdoms was so interesting. I would have liked to have learned more about them both, however. They’re such an important part of the book and how the characters live and interact. I hope that we get more about the magic in the second book, if there is one.

Overall, I enjoyed this story involving seemingly friendly kingdoms with magical beings and teenage drama that became a little too live or die. I hope after that cliffhanger at the end, we get a second book so we can find out the fates of Adella and her friends.

The Seelie Queen is available for purchase, so be sure to pick up your copy!

The Seelie Queen by Kortney Sizemore-Gallagher

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

I received a free e-ARC of A Taste For Love thanks to PenguinTeen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I loved this book. I usually don’t like rom-com books because I find them too cheesy, but I knew I’d enjoy this one. What’s better is that it is a retelling of my favorite book: Pride and Prejudice! How can you not win with that?!

So what’s it about? We have Liza Yang, a seemingly perfect high school student. Except for the fact that she dates non-Asian guys, that is. Liza’s mom would prefer if she dated Asian guys—the more traditional and suitable partner—but Liza refuses. When Liza gets to help her mom judge the baking competition they host every year, Liza realizes her mom has set her up: all of the contestants are Asian American men. Will Liza go along with it? And what happens when she starts to fall for one of the contestants?

A Taste For Love: Recipe for Success?

This is such a light fun read. I loved all of the descriptions of the food and baking. Although this was a light contemporary read, one thing that I really appreciated was the dynamic between the family. The relationships between different family members felt real. The tension and inability to see eye-to-eye was so relatable. While it did have a unique cultural aspect, I felt like it could be recognizable to others outside of the Asian cultures. 

There was one thing that I did find a little bit confusing. Mrs. Yang, Liza’s mom, hosts the competition and picks the contestants. I was a little surprised at the caliber of the contestants that were participating in the competition, especially since there was such a big turnout. It just seemed like the competition would have been a little more stiff.

One thing that I found a little bit eye-roll worthy was that, of course, James was perfect. The rest of the book made up for this, though, and it was so minor that I was able to overlook it. 

Overall, this book was a hit. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fun contemporary reads, food, or who wants to read a twist on a classic. A Taste For Love is out today, so be sure to pick up your copy! 

A Taste For Love by Jennifer Yen
Picture From my Netgalley Shelf