At several points this year have I pondered a perennial question, which many millennials will likely be familiar with: Am I too old for YA? Here is the thing: I love YA fantasy, but I am seriously beginning to question if I have reached my tolerance for rom-com, thriller-hype, coming-of-age stories. We Made it All […]
[Caitlyn’s Review:] Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
Blood Scion is a dark-as-they-come YA fantasy novel filled with detailed and developed world building and a similarly complex heroine, Sloan. Sloan is 15 years old with magic running through her veins. As a Scion, Sloan is a gifted with magic from the Orisha gods and has the power to call forth fire and flame. […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos
What I truly love about fantasy at any level is its ability to invite readers into various cultures, seeped in ethnic and religious symbolism. I love books that introduce me to the pagan rituals of medieval Russia and the godly war of ancient Greece; they invite a new perspective, a new nuance to a tried-and-true […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: The Storyteller by Kathryn Williams
Lately I have become obsessed with Russian history. Maybe it was reading the Winternight trilogy by Katharine Arden (which ranks my most beloved series, and one which I have posted about here quite a bit already), or perhaps it was finally watching The Great on Hulu (highly, highly recommend), either way I am always primed […]
[Caitlyn’s review]: Daughter of Sparta (Daughter of Sparta #1) by Claire M. Andrews
Where this past winter was all about Russian folklore (with new reads like The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinowski, old favorites like The Winternight Triology by Katharine Arden, and books that are getting well deserved attention like Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha-verse), then I’m proclaiming this summer all about Greek mythology! For me, great Greek […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
Way back in March 2020, when the pandemic first began and we all turned inside using books and binge watching to escape the looming doom of a global health crisis, I became slightly obsessed with tracking the hashtags #SaveAnnewithanE and #RenewAnnewithanE. Seriously, Netflix could not post a single promo for Tiger King or Ozark without […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
Here is how I imagine you will read this book: its a Saturday, maybe its raining or, if you’re lucky, its snowing. You curl up on your sofa or in your favorite reading chair, blanket and tea at the ready, cat optional, and you read this book cover to cover in one afternoon. It is […]
[Caitlyn’s Review]: The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski
There is a part of the year that any well-seasoned New Englander or Midwesterner will know, when the winter no longer feels bright with possibilities and holiday cheer, but instead dark and gloomy and just so cold. Endlessly cold. Here in Indiana we’re looking at a balmy forecast of 10 degrees next week. Right now, […]