I would like to wish you all a very Happy Holidays! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful tiem with friends and family. I know this time can be hectic for many of you so be sure to also practice some self-care. If you are traveling, safe travels! Stay tuned to next week when I will post my favorite books of 2017!

Description: At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife.
  Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

Review: There are some authors that write stories and there are other authors who are storytellers. Katherine Arden belongs to the latter category. While reading her mesmerizing debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale, you actually feel like you are listening to an oral story while sitting next to a fire on a cold night. It is the perfect book to pick up and read this winter season.
  Combining history, mythology, and fairy tale, The Bear and the Nightingale takes place during medieval Russia where women had very few choices: become a wife who bears children and takes care of her household or become a nun dedicated to God. Vasilisa Petrovna refuses to do either much to the ire of her family, especially her religiously devout stepmother. Rebellious since birth, Vasilisa has always followed her instincts. Always escaping her confining home and banal household chores, she is at peace in the forest and conversing with spirits only she knows from folktales that she grew up with and know to be real. For the most part, Vasilisa's behavior is overlooked since she is the youngest child, but there is something alluring about her that her father refuses to acknowledge. The plot picks up when a charismatic priest comes to her father's village and clashes with the old customs, in particular of leaving offerings to spirits. Vasilisa knows that if this practice is stopped, the spirits will grow weak and be unable to defend the village when evil comes knocking. Soon crops and villagers begin to die. Vasilisa's unladylike behavior and refusal to follow the priest's teachings mark her as a witch in the villagers' eyes. Soon she finds that she is not the one who is bargaining with the devil.
 I found the clash between the organized religion and those of the spirits to be fascinating. I also loved the characters. Vasilisa is a strong female protagonist. She knows what she wants and refuses to bow down in front of societal expectations. Her beauty and charisma, for once, is internal and come from her strong self-confidence rather than physical appearance. There is a bit of a light romance simmering in the book, but for the most part is it about Vasilisa's coming of age. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I was left wanting to know more about Vasilisa's older siblings who are mentioned in the first part of the book and have left a strong impression of her. I hope to learn more about them and continue with Vasilisa's adventures in the next book. I am so happy that this is only the beginning of a fabulous series.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images, nudity, and allusion to sex. Recommended for older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: 

Description: Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Review: I was not the biggest fan of the Grisha Trilogy, but I was fascinated enough by the world that Leigh Bardugo created that I wanted to pick up the Six of Crows duology. I am so glad that I did because it is fantastic and exceed all of my expectations. Six of Crows made my favorite list last year and the sequel, Crooked Kingdom is on my favorite for this year. If I could categorize Six of Crows, I would label it as a fantasy heist story. Crooked Kingdom still has the adrenaline rush, humor, and heart touching moments as Six of Crows, but it has a classic revenge story vibe to it. You definitely need to read Six of Crows before you pick up Crooked Kingdom in order to orientate yourself in the world and get to know the characters.
  Picking up where Six of Crows ended, a last-minute double-cross left Kaz and his gang in a tight spot. One of their team members is captured, they never got their money, and, thanks to their new companion, a highly sought-after Grisha, they are desperate to stay out of sight. This of course doesn't stop the ruthless and determined Kaz Brekker who comes with plan after plan to retrieve their lost member and swindle a vicious merchant out of his money and most importantly his reputation.
 Bardugo is so skillful with her world building that Ketterdam becomes a real place and character in the series and she does so seamlessly without resorting to info dumping. There were many times I was at the edge of my seat as Kaz got himself cornered and wondered how he would get out of it. Normally, I can easily see what characters will do, but in Crooked Kingdom I couldn't keep track of the twisty plot and finally just gave up to watch it all unfold. Like Six of Crows, the book is told from multiple point of views where each character gets to shine. The cast is diverse, brilliant, flawed, and incredibly endearing. We see these characters at their worst and their vulnerabilities shine through but also their best. While enjoying the roller coaster ride that is the plot, we see growth and redemption for these misfits.
 While Crooked Kingdom does tie up some loose ends, there are a few threads that are left tantalizingly open for a possible continuation in case Bardugo wants to return to this world. I really hope she does because I did not want this book to end. If you were lukewarm about the Grisha Trilogy like I was, I definitely urge you to pick up this duology. It is Bardugo at her best and I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeves in the future.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong violence and some strong language in the book. There are mentions of human trafficking including being sold to sex slavery. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Curse Worker series by Holly Black, Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima, The Reader by Traci Chee

Description: Wendy Davies crashes her car into a lake on a late summer night in New England with her two younger brothers in the backseat. When she wakes in the hospital, she is told that her youngest brother, Michael, is dead. Wendy — a once rational teenager – shocks her family by insisting that Michael is alive and in the custody of a mysterious flying boy. Placed in a new school, Wendy negotiates fantasy and reality as students and adults around her resemble characters from Neverland. Given a sketchbook by her therapist, Wendy starts to draw. But is The Wendy Project merely her safe space, or a portal between worlds?

Review: The Wendy Project is a new innovative retelling of Peter Pan that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. In this retelling Wendy is an ordinary teen who gets distracted and accidentally drives off a bridge with her brothers in the backseat. When they're rescued, Wendy is told John has survived, however, her youngest brother Michael's body cannot be found. He is presumed dead via drowning, but Wendy insists that he is alive and she saw him flying off into the sky holding someone's hand. While her family members grieve around her, Wendy is committed to finding out where Michael went. She can't be see shimmers of Peter Pan in a mysterious loner and known trouble maker Eben Peters who intends her school and catches his fancy. She also sees traces of Captain Hook in an officer who comes and questions her after her recovery. Concerned by Wendy's insistence that Michael is alive somewhere, her parents send her to a therapist, who encourages her to draw her feelings and creatively becomes the graphic novel we are reading.
   The colorful watercolor illustrations of Wendy's hopeful glimpses into magic and wonder of Neverland are striking against the cold, grey grief that overshadows her and her family. While I loved the contrast in this the graphic novel, I wasn't a fan of the artwork. The text was hard to read at times and came across as scribbles packed together though it lends to Wendy's journaling authenticity. I would have liked the panels to have more room to spread out. Instead of focusing on the themes of innocence, and immortality, The Wendy Project uses the classic tale as a kaleidoscope to convey Wendy's emotions of confusion, love, grief, and guilt.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is a teenage partying scene where underage drinking and drug use are depicted. There is also some minor language. Recommended for strong Grade 7 readers and up.

If you like this book try: The Curse of Addie McMahon by Katie Davis, The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson

Description: In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned -- from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
  Enter Mia Warren, an enigmatic artist and single mother, who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
  When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Review: In Ng's sophomore novel, Little Fires Everywhere, she returns with her critical eyes on suburbia, privilege, and motherhood. The opening chapter opens up with the burning of a home of an seemingly perfect family in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Shaker Heights is an idyllic suburb where residents are happy with the status quo and are resistant to change. Unwelcome change comes barreling into the Richardson family when Mia, a boho, charismatic, and mysterious artist moves in with her teenage daughter Pearl become tenants in a rental house Mrs. Richardson inherited from her parents.
  Mia and Pearl live a very different life from the Richardson family. Unlike the Richardsons, an affluent couple and their four teen children who live in a big house with white picket fences, Mia is an artist who makes enough money for them to get by and are constantly on the move whenever inspiration hits Mia for a new art project. With the juxtaposition of these two families, we get to see how class and money affects them as well as the mother-child relationships, especially as Mia and Pearl intertwine their lives with the Richards, albeit Mia reluctantly and Pearl eagerly. 
  The book is quite quiet as we observe how these characters interact with one another. It is told through various points of views and it takes it time slowly developing the different bonds between the characters. I really appreciated how the teens and adults are both given enough page time and attention. Many times in adult fiction the children are brushed aside, but they are really important to the story. I liked Pearl for the most part as the everyday girl. I could understand how she wanted to mimic her lifestyle to that of the glamorous neighbors, but I also wished that she had her own personality. Out of the Richardsons, I felt most connected to Moody, the middle child who was reserved and kept his feelings towards Pearl to himself mostly. I also liked Izzy for her tenacity and determination to always stand up for what she believed in but at times she was a bit much.
  The book's pacing picks up when "little fires" are sparked and set fire to the Richardsons'  secure, stable world and how they do or do not adjust their worldviews. A particular fire is when Shaker Heights is the center for a public, legal custody case of a Chinese American Baby. Overall, Little Fires Everywhere is enjoyable and insightful read. It would make a good book club pick as there are plenty of themes to discuss such as loyalty and betrayal, honesty and trust, and what does motherhood mean.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, fade to black sex scenes, teen abortion, and underage drinking discussed in the book. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran, Night Road by Kristin Hannah