All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle

Title: All the Right Reasons

Author: Bethany Mangle

Genre: Young Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 304 pages 

Publication: February 15th 2022

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.
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Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.

The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.

As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.

 

MY THOUGHTS

All the Right Reasons was pitched as The Bachelorette meets Gilmore Girls, and words have never been more accurate! Now, I’m not a reality show type gal but I absolutely adored this book. Cara and her mother Julia were a hoot. I definitely got the Gilmore Girl vibes; the humor and the mother-daughter relationship was spot on!

 I loved that Mangle didn’t go down the typical reality show path and instead we had Cara’s mother Julia as an older woman and divorcee lead picking from other divorcee/eligible men. But that’s not all, Cara joined her mom as she scoped out potential step-siblings. It was a literal family affair. While the whole premise of the novel is about Cara and her mother starting over, possibly with a new family; it was nice to see the main story focused on their mother-daughter relationship versus the relationships with the contestants. I loved it. It was a welcome change to see in a YA novel. Although, that’s not to say there isn’t any romantic relationships because there are!

 I loved everything about All the Right Reasons and enjoyed it from beginning to end. It was such a cute, all-round feel good read. There was a never a dull moment.Like most reality shows readers can expect drama, romance, shock and surprises. If I had to describe this book in one word it’d be: wholesome. I thought it was an unique and fun concept with such relatable and realistic characters. I highly recommend All the Right Reasons if you’re looking for a fun escapism or something that’ll make you laugh…you won’t regret it. Perfect for teens and adults!

 

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

Title: The Witch Haven

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 448 pages
Publication: August 31, 2021 by Simon and Schuster BFYR
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.

Before she can be condemned as a murderess, two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches. Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls, Frances finds the sisterhood she craves, but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous. Frances has no interest in the small, safe magic of her school, and is instead enchanted by Finn, a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn, lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother.

Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan. And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side. Frances must ultimately choose what matters more, justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn, or the safety of her city and fellow witches. What price would she pay for power, and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined?

My Thoughts

Books with witches are my jam. Combine it with the early 20th century period and a boarding school setting and you have the perfect trifecta. We all know the history of witches. People fear what they don’t understand but what’s even more terrifying is an intelligent woman with powers. Smith did a great job incorporating that theme and picking the perfect setting of 1911 New York. While it was the turn of the century full of expansion, it was also a time of oppression of the lower-working class and women. The world building was pretty straightforward and very easy to understand. 

The world is divided into the haves and have-nots, those with power and without power, and male and female. Frances, our heroine falls in the later. After a triggering violent attack Frances discovers she’s a witch. Immediately she gets whisked away to Haxahaven Academy. Haxahaven teaches its students’ that their place in the world is in a home. The magical spells learned revolved around domesticated routines in the home such as cooking, cleaning and sewing. It comes as no surprise that Frances yearns more in life than becoming a dutiful housewife. As her brother William once said, she was destined to change the world. And that’s exactly what Frances set out to do, but as with life, things don’t always turn out how we thought they would. 

 Frances is your typical seventeen-year-old, curious, rebellious and thinks she’s invincible. I liked that she did anything she set her mind to and never took no as an answer. It was easy to see her growth and transformation from beginning to end. I thought it was done well and best of all, actually believable. All the secondary characters were also well developed and memorable. I adored Frances’s confidantes Maxine and Leah. They embodied loyalty and sisterhood. I normally am not fond of love triangles but I kinda liked Oliver and Finn. They were the complete opposite, the old childhood friend and the mysterious dream boy. But unlike other cookie-cutter YA love interests, these guy had substance and piqued my interest. The somewhat biggest surprise of all was Finn. I guessed how everything was going to end but Smith definitely shocked me in the last chapter. Talk about a cliffhanger! 

 The Witch Haven exceeded all my expectations. I went in thinking it was going to be a regular ol’ story about a boarding school but it was so much more. The story had a natural progression throughout the entire book and ended in an explosive climax that I think will surprise the reader and have them frantically turning the pages. I flew through the last third of the book. The Witch Haven is a great debut encompassing self discovery and acceptance, sisterhood/friendship, and of course a lot of heart. I absolutely enjoyed The Witch Haven, it was one of my most anticipated read...and it didn’t disappoint! I can't wait to see what’s in store for Frances and her friends.

The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett

Title: The Lady Rogue

Author: Jenn Bennett
Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 372 pages
Publication: September 3, 2019 by Simon Pulse
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Bennett returns to fantasy after a long hiatus and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am a big fan of her Arcadia Bell series (if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out!) and was excited to see her take within the Young Adult genre. In The Lady Rouge, Bennett tackles Romanian history and the infamous Vlad Țepeș, the inspiration for Dracula.

The Lady Rouge had a lot to love from the history, myths, the occult, to treasure hunting and adventure abroad. The novel is narrated by sixteen-year-old Theodora a.k.a ‘Little Empress', and I must say the nickname is befitting. The story started immediately, dropping readers in a bazaar in the middle of Istanbul with Theo being apprehended for stealing. From there the story kept an ascending trajectory with nonstop action as Theo and Huck, a childhood friend turned lover is chased across Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania in search of her father.

I loved how Bennett combined history with a subtle supernatural element. I thought the plot of a magical artifact and lineage was very clever and well-suited to the story. While the story was mainly about finding her father, it was also equally heavy on the romance aspect. I felt like Theo was pining over Huck every chance she got or begrudging him for leaving without notice a year prior in between being chase and at death’s door. But I understand young adolescent, they can be quite fickle.

In between the chapters, readers can also find Fox’s (Theo’s dad) journal entries which was a nice touch to Theo piecing the clues together. The ending wrapped up nicely and am not sure if this was intended for a series but either way, I found it satisfying. All in all, a good novel, if you’re looking for a book with a lot of action and romance with a touch of supernatural, then this book might be of interest!



Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson

Title: Brave Face: A Memoir
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Genre: Young-Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 368 pages
Publication: May 21, 2019 by Simon Pulse

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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“I wasn’t depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and gay.”

Shaun David Hutchinson was nineteen. Confused. Struggling to find the vocabulary to understand and accept who he was and how he fit into a community in which he couldn’t see himself. The voice of depression told him that he would never be loved or wanted, while powerful and hurtful messages from society told him that being gay meant love and happiness weren’t for him.

A million moments large and small over the years all came together to convince Shaun that he couldn’t keep going, that he had no future. And so he followed through on trying to make that a reality.

Thankfully Shaun survived, and over time, came to embrace how grateful he is and how to find self-acceptance. In this courageous and deeply honest memoir, Shaun takes readers through the journey of what brought him to the edge, and what has helped him truly believe that it does get better.

I’ve never been a fan of non-fiction, and a lesser fan of biographies. But my goal this year was to expand my reading and read books out of my comfort zone. So, when Brave Face was offered for review, I thought, what perfect timing! Brave Face is a memoir written by popular Young Adult author, Shawn Hutchinson who mainly pens contemporaries. Those of which I haven’t had the pleasure of reading…yet. While Hutchinson touches on similar issues in his other novels, Brave Face is his personal story, giving readers an in-depth look at the author’s life growing up in the 80’s and 90’s battling severe depression while figuring out who he was and what he wanted to be.

In Brave Face, Hutchinson covers a multitude of sensitive and triggering topics such as sex, identity, suicide, depression and drugs. Hutchinson effectively puts his life on display in a way that captures the reader like any good story but is also educational on the above mention topics in a way that’s relatable; something that cannot be taught in school or by parents/families. He tells it like it is and doesn’t sugarcoat anything for the audience. It was personal, real and raw. I appreciated every word of it.

I personally connected with Hutchinson on what it was like being an adolescent (pre, in the 90's) and dealing with depression. The angst was real back then and literally every minuscule thing or incident felt like the end of the world! But on a whole, I think this will resonate with many, if not all teens on self-discovery and identity. At one point in all our lives, we’ve questioned ourselves and I’m sure wore a ton of different masks to try to fit in and be accepted by our peers and then society. Depression was a big theme in this book and it is no joke, I’ve been there as well, and it let me just say, it will eat you from the inside out if you let the voices in your head consume you. Hutchinson’s descriptions about depression was scary accurate from the onset of it to the aftermath; showing us that it doesn’t only hurt the one depressed but goes beyond that to friends and families.

Brave Face is more relevant than ever, especially with today’s societal climate. I think it’s mainly billed towards the LGBT community, but this book was so, so much more than that. It’s a book about life and growing up. There were two beautiful nuggets of wisdom that I took from Hutchinson’s memoir, first is that, life is hard and it’s okay NOT to be okay sometimes. Everything takes time and every moment of our lives is a work-in-progress. Go at your own pace. And secondly, don’t ever feel afraid or ashamed to ask for help. We all feel lonely sometimes, but we’re never really alone.

 All in all, I very much enjoyed Brave Face and am not ashamed to say that I totally ugly cried multiple times in the book. It was all sorts of beautiful, melancholic, humorous and heart-wrenching in your face awesomeness…and I was hooked from the very first page. And now, I must go and add Hutchinson’s back-list to my ever-growing TBR pile.

The Memory of Forgotten Things by Kat Zhang

Title: The Memory of Forgotten Things
Author: Kat Zhang
Genre: Fiction, Middle Grade
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 288 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Aladdin

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

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One of the happiest memories twelve-year-old Sophia Wallace has is of her tenth birthday. Her mother made her a cake that year—and not a cake from a boxed-mix, but from scratch. She remembers the way the frosting tasted, the way the pink sugar roses dissolved on her tongue.

This memory, and a scant few others like it, is all Sophia has of her mother, so she keeps them close. She keeps them secret, too. Because as paltry as these memories are, she shouldn’t have them at all.

The truth is, Sophia Wallace’s mother died when she was six years old. But that isn’t how she remembers it. Not always.

Sophia has never told anyone about her unusual memories—snapshots of a past that never happened. But everything changes when Sophia’s seventh grade English class gets an assignment to research solar eclipses. She becomes convinced that the upcoming solar eclipse will grant her the opportunity to make her alternate life come true, to enter a world where her mother never died.

With the help of two misfit boys, she must figure out a way to bring her mother back to her—before the opportunity is lost forever.

The Memory of Forgotten Things was such a sweet and touching Middle Grade novel. The book is centered around Sophia, a twelve-year-old girl who is having memories of her mom; memories when she was 9, 10, 11…except her mom passed away when Sophia was only six-years-old. So the question is, how is this possible? With the help of two of Sophia’s classmates they find a correlation between the Memories and the solar eclipse…and the possibility of bringing back their loved ones.

The Memory of Forgotten Things dealt with some heavy issues such as death, grief and if given the chance to change the past/future, would you? Or should you? I thought Zhang tackled the topics and packaged it in such a way that was easy to understand and was very well written; especially for the targeted audience. While Sophia is the main character, her fellow classmates; Luke and DJ both had to deal with a family member’s death as well. It was interesting to see how children dealt with death and seeing the aftermath of it of how it affected the family life/those that were left behind. I liked the trio of characters and found them mature for their age. In some scenes it felt as if the children were more mature and understanding than their own parents. For example in Sophia’s case, after the death of her mom, her dad spent his days working or in a daze and asleep. And he depended more on Sophia than the other way around as if the roles were reversed.

I really enjoyed The Memory of Forgotten Things, its a story about learning to move on, acceptance, family and friendship. However, it should be noted that this book is an iota part magic/science-fiction. I initially thought this would fall under magic realism (similar to Bridge to Terabithia) but Zhang surprised me and took it to the next level incorporating fringe science, the theory of parallel universes…do they exist? Is there multiple worlds out there with different variation of ourselves? So just a heads up to those interested in reading The Memory of Forgotten Things. Some reviewers were surprised by this and felt mislead. But I am all for magic/sci-fi and actually liked the unexpectedness of it all. I highly recommend this standalone novel to everyone. It definitely poses a lot to think about!

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Title: An Enchantment of Ravens
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Genre: Fantasy
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 300 Pages
Publication: September 26, 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: I received a review copy (Arc) in exchange for a honest review. 

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Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—

Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There's only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

An Enchantment of Ravens has probably one of the most stunning book cover I’ve ever seen. I was already intrigued by the beautiful cover but what sealed the deal was the synopsis; I’m a sucker for anything faerie related. The book is centered around 17-year-old Isobel, a renown portrait painter in Whimsy with clients to die for…The Fair Folks. Isobel paints portraits for faerie patrons in exchange for enchantments to protect her and her family, whether it be to protect their selves from harm from The Fair Ones or something useful such as a chicken, guarantee to lay 6 eggs per week, forever. However, things get dangerously complicated when she is whisked away by the Autumn Prince for painting him with human emotions, a treason in Faerie.

An Enchantment of Ravens started off pretty good. Whimsy, the place in which Isobel and her family resides is neither here nor there…it was like limbo, a place like our own but not…Whimsy was trapped in eternal Summer, fitting as it is the Summer King that currently reigns. The initial encounter between Isobel and the Autumn Prince had me smiling, because within the first couple of chapters I already knew they adored one another, they had the whole star-crossed lover vibe going on. But once Rook kidnapped Isobel from her home, the story went in a direction that I didn’t see coming. Well, a direction I had hoped that I was wrong about. Turns out I wasn’t and the direction was not for the better.

I get that Isobel has been sheltered all her life, so when Rook, a boy and a prince nonetheless entered her life he was more than appealing. But as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of insta-love. And this was like Insta-love to the max. Yes, teenagers often fall in love hard and quickly but it wasn’t realistic in this case. Isobel has grown-up to be careful and mindful of everything around her, especially when it came to dealing with The Fair Folks. But being around Rook had her throwing caution to the wind. Years of acquiring enchantments and stepping on eggshells around The Fair Folks gone down the drain in a blink of an amethyst eye. It made me like Isobel less and less as the story went on. And even though in the end she out witted the Summer King, she changed and more or less stayed in the lovey-dovy doe eyed state.

The world-building was great. I loved seeing the Faerie world that Rogerson created. But the plot itself wasn’t as enjoyable as I hoped. At the core, this is a romance and journey story. More romance though. There wasn’t much substance. I often found myself bored as Rook and Isobel ran from The Wild Hunt and as they transversed the different courts. The reason behind Rook and Isobel running to Faerie and running away is because they were about to break The Good Law and then they actually broke the law…I just found the whole thing kind of silly. I was expecting more societal and political intrigue but instead I got two love sick teenagers running to and fro causing a mess wherever they went.

An Enchantment of Ravens had so much potential to be a great novel, and it saddens me to say this but it didn’t meet my expectations. The words written within the book didn’t live up to the beautiful cover, the promise of a captivating read. The writing was done well but the plot itself was poorly executed, lackluster and somewhat predictable. The characters were underdeveloped and I had a really hard time connecting with anyone. I never felt invested in the story or the characters, and felt myself being a bit relieved that I managed to finish the book (I don’t like DNF-ing a book). This book has gotten a lot of rave reviews, so while I didn't like it you still might! I can’t say I’d recommend this book but if you’re still interested, perhaps checking out a sample before purchasing?

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Title: The Last Magician 
Author: Lisa Maxwell
Genre: Young Adult
Series: The Last Magician #1

Hardcover, 512 Pages
Publication: July 18, 2017 by Simon Pulse

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past. 

The Last Magician has been on my radar since the cover reveal months ago. After seeing it and reading the synopsis I knew it was going to be one of 2017’s most wanted/anticipated novels. And it certainly was, staying on the NYT Bestseller List for weeks! The Last Magician had a lot going for it involving magic, politics, societal issues, time-traveling, heist/con, well-thought out world building, great characters and so much more. Unlike most YA novels on the market, The Last Magician was pretty hefty in terms of page number and had a complex world-building. I thought Maxwell did an amazing job capturing New York during the 1900’s. The vivid imagery/details clearly showed the amount of time and research that went into the story. I truly felt as if I was there and that the characters were realistic, made whole/fleshed as if they were alive. I love the whole Gangs of New York feel with Magic (Yes, I know the movie is set in the 1800’s)!

At a glance, you’d expect or assume The Last Magician to be some sort of boarding school novel with magical users dealing with adolescent issues. Nope. The Last Magician was more dark, gritty and it had a whole lot of street smarts involved. I loved Maxwell’s take on magicians and the magic system. Maegus, are those born with magical powers and are feared by the common man who put up a magical/aetheral barrier “The Brink” to severely damage/kill those who posses any hint of magic because they believed it to be evil and feral. I liked that the majority of our characters are also approximately eighteen-years-old to late twenties, and back then the times made one grow-up even quicker than they wanted to. Our heroine, Etsa is seventeen but from a young age she was taught to be a weapon, using her training and ability to make her a undetectable and uncatchable thief. I adore Etsa, she’s independent, a quick thinker, resourceful and smart. Dolph’s crew was an eclectic bunch, all Maegus of varying abilities with the common goal of taking down the order, bringing magic back to it’s former glory and to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Each member was distinctly unique and had an interesting back story that I wouldn’t mind exploring more of like; Jianyu and Viola, both related to rival gangs, but find themselves in the employment/gang of Dolph Saunder, an enigmatic character (it’d be awesome to see his rise to power, I see a story or novella in the future!)

While The Last Magician is part time-traveling, the majority of the story is set in the past in the year 1901. Which I didn’t mind, I am quite fond of this century. All in all, The Last Magician lived up to the hype and was way better than what I expected. I love everything about this book. I am so glad this is part of a duology because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters.Despite the book clocking out at over 500 page, it was a quick read that had me from the very first page! The beginning was a bit confusing jumping back and forth from the past and present, but it was a good surprise when all the thread came together. And that ending! I was so engrossed into what was happening that I didn’t even see it coming, talk about a shocker! Loved it! If you haven’t read this new series starter, go out and get it now. I highly recommend it!