This
book surprised me, and I do love a pleasant surprise.
I originally wasn’t that
interested in This Poison Heart because I knew it had something to do
with plants, and I don’t care much about plants. But I picked it up because
Bayron’s first book had a twist I enjoyed, and it turned out that Briseis — the teenage
star of this book— was awesome and engaging, and the story was full
of twists, with a feminist twist on classical mythology, a healthy spattering
of diverse characters, and LGBTQ+ relationships.
This is my kind of book
because Briseis learns a lot about herself and discovers an inner strength she
never knew was there. I love to read and write stories like this.
_______________
'Kalynn Bayron does more than re-write a fairy-tale ... She breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a wholly original and captivating story where girls finally decide for themselves who lives happily ever after' - Brigid Kemmerer
'Brings much-needed inclusivity and contemporary flavor to the teen fantasy genre' - Kirkus Reviews
'A delicious mix of intoxicating fantasy and coming of age, steeped in Greek mythology and peppered with references to the Jordan Peele films Get Out and Us' - Observer New Review
_______________
Ever since she can remember, Briseis has had power over plants. Flowers bloom in her footsteps…
I Must Betray You is
another of Ruta Sepetys’s incredible historical YA novels.
She consistently brings
to life disparate places and times, and this story of the lead-up to the fall
of communism in Romania in 1989 is no exception.
Communist Romania is a
nightmare, pitting family and friends against each other through the horrific
secret police. Teenage Cristian knows things aren’t right, and he is that rare
person who dares to stand up even when it’s completely impossible to win.
I
love how Sepetys ties Cristian’s triumphant fictional efforts into the real
events in a believable way. When I lived in a former Soviet country, I felt
like communism just obliterates the soul, so seeing this hateful regime fall
was very satisfying.
A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.
Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.
Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s…
All teens are trying to figure themselves out, but
kids who don’t feel comfortable in the cis/hetero mold have an even tougher
time.
Felix is struggling and starts to doubt some of the things he has
believed about himself, and it’s terrifying. Add to that some confusion about
some of his relationships, and you have a cocktail of challenges.
I could so
relate to Felix and know that my own fictional characters would, too.
This book
received some impressive and well-earned accolades for painting such an authentic
portrayal of a trans teen finding himself and his place amongst his peers, but
it’s also a good story with a lot more going on. It’s impossible not to root
for Felix and his friends.
A Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time
From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too…
Entering her first semester at a boarding school far from her
narrow-minded hometown, the talented teen artist hopes to continue exploring
her gender identity in a safer environment.
And after meeting a boy she likes,
connecting with another student, and discovering a supportive teacher, she’s
relieved things are looking up… until once again, she faces a cruel bully. Trying
to stay positive, the shy creative focuses on nurturing her fledgling
friendships and honing her skills under the guidance of a kind mentor. But
after Nic’s crush is vengefully outed as trans, she blurts out something awful
and fears she’s ruined everything. Can she mend shattered trusts and reclaim
her authentic self?
