Book Reflections

Content Tags: Emotional Abuse, Grooming, Violence, Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Physical Abuse This is the second book of the  A Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology. My post about the first book is located here . DESCRIPTION (from Storygraph ) The highly-anticipated second—and final—book in the immersive fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore that began with the New York Times bestselling A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, from author Roseanne A. Brown. Months have passed since the violent coup that upended Princess Karina’s life. She is now a fugitive racing across the desert to sanctuary in the Arkwasian Jungle, where she hopes to find allies to help her reclaim her kingdom from her adopted brother's clutches. Meanwhile, Malik's illusion magic is flourishing under Farid's tutelage, but the bonds keeping the Faceless King trapped in his mind are weakening. His quest to best the spirit once and for all leads him deep into the dark history of his o...

Content Tags: Indigenous, Cultural Identity, Citizenship Google Books: "From celebrated Indigenous author Thomas King and award-winning Métis artist Natasha Donovan comes a powerful graphic novel about a family caught between nations. Borders is a masterfully told story of a boy and his mother whose road trip is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada. In the limbo between countries, they find power in their connection to their identity and to each other.  Borders explores nationhood from an Indigenous perspective and resonates deeply with themes of identity, justice, and belonging." This is a short, but very impactful graphic novel about the impact Borders have on the people whose land was stolen to create those Borders. This is a quick read with beautiful images and a very important story and perspective being shared.  D...

Content Tags: Violence, LGBTQIA+, Alcohol, Racism From the Storygraph description: "Stonewall Honor recipient and two-time National Book Award Longlist selectee Anna-Marie McLemore weaves an intoxicating tale of glamor and heartache in Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix, part of the Remixed Classics series." And from the Author's Note: "I wanted to create a Gatsby that included my queer, transgender, and Latine communities." All classics need to be rewritten as queer and more diverse. This book was brilliant and I loved every minute of it. McLemore crafted such beautiful scenes and amazing characters (that vastly differed from what I know of the original) that I wanted to know more about. And her descriptions painted a very detailed picture and were, at times, incredibly humorous to me. Such as: "If an Irish castle had an affair with a cathedral, that might be the house that came of it." I may have at some point read The Great Gatsby   in my life, b...

Content Tags: Emotional Abuse, Parent Death, Violence, Self-Harm, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Physical Abuse, Animal Death I was already excited to read this book and got even more excited when I saw the Author's Note including trigger warnings. I would love to see more of these. " A Note from the Author Please note this book depicts issues of mild self-harm ideation, fantasy violence, emotional and physical abuse, anxiety and panic attacks, parent death, and animal death. I have done my best to approach these topics with sensitivity, but if you feel this kind of content may be triggering, please be aware." The book is written from the dual perspectives of Malik (or Adil) and Princess Karina. Both are on a risky, confusing, and mostly unknown path to save family and will do whatever it takes, or will they? After all they've been through, will they ultimately have what it takes? Their paths cross, unbeknownst to them, early on and their lives seem inextricably linked from ...