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tanya_tate's reviews
594 reviews
Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Book Stats
Stars: DNFED @25%
Start Date: 07/22/24
Ending Date: 07/29/24
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 432
Publishing Date: 05/07/24
Point of View: 1st Person
Setting: Helena, Al
My Blog :https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/07/29/blood-at-the-root-by-ladarrion-williams/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6449417911
Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book came to my attention thanks to Tiktok during the height of HAMU Tittok last year. HAMU (Hogwarts Agricultural and Magical University) was created by black titokers who loved Harry Potter and wanted to create a HBCU Hogwarts using the black experience and culture. Since around the same time, the video game, Hogwarts Legacy, was popular with a lot of people playing it.
For context, HBCU means Historically Black College and Universities since I am going to be saying that phrase a lot during this review.
So I started really seeing the author promoting this book calling it the Black Harry Potter with a Magical HBCU which for the most part sounded interesting. So when the arc came out I decided to request for it and got approved. I tried reading it three times and for some reason could get past the first few pages until I got the audiobook.
Let me tell you I should have listened to my subconscious and not even tried.
Why am I DNFing this book?
The author has been saying on their twitter and titkok pages as they heavily promoted this Black Magical HBCU as no black trauma which is further from the truth.
In the prologue and the first couple chapters this is what happens.
1.The prologue has the death of a parent and the first chapter has that character in the foster care system meaning they were in a single parent home to begin with. Meaning the absence of a father figure.
2.Honestly no mention of a father or father figure at all so far in the MMC life..
3.The community that the MMC was in didn’t step up for him and thought he killed his mom.
4.The potential Main Female Character was abandoned by her parents for doing magic.....
5.The MMC foster brother was abused by his foster parents.
6.The MMC pretty much didn’t even know he had a grandmother or relatives on his mama side of the family for ten years.
This is all in the first six chapters of the book. Like did he understand what black trauma actually means before saying it’s no black trauma in it?
I have been reading a lot of books with black authors with black characters and not once did these authors say that the book is not going through some kind of trauma. Hell, one of my favorite reads this year has the main two characters trying to figure out who framed their grandmother which led to her death and who killed their father. Those two characters go through a lot of shit in two books but don’t hear that author saying “Oh there is no trauma in it,”
The author is promoting this book to black boys so they can finally see themselves but have the main character hijack and steal a car in the first chapter. Something that most deniably get a black boy arrested and possibly killed for.
This book is trying so hard to appeal to blacks and the culture while still missing the mark. It doesn’t feel authentic because of it due to the fact Black Culture is not how many freaking black pop culture references you can make. You don’t need Temptations, Black Panther, Fast and the Fury or Drumline movie references for it to be black. Black Culture is using the experiences that black people can relate to. It's pretty using your own experience (not a caricature of an experience) to shape the story that people of that culture will understand. It is just too much and it comes off as being cringe instead of something you can enjoy.
Also instead of embracing the black culture it just feels like it’s mocking it especially when it comes to how the elders laugh and do things. Also how the black church is run as well.
The author is promoting this book as a Magical HBCU but not once did the author “shout out” the HBCUs in Alabama or in general but did shout the two most popular PWI schools in Alabama. Since the book takes place in Helena, Al before it goes to Louisiana.
It’s a line in particular where the MMC is learning the name of Magical HBCU.
<b>“I know,” I hear Mama Aya tell him. “I need you ta let him into Caiman.”Hearing that word, my mind goes back to last night, finding my mama’s college hoodie. The way they’re talking about it makes it seem like it’s University of Alabama or Auburn University."</b>
I'm not trying to be picky but if this supposed to have a HBCU like magic school why are mentioning the two PWI "muggle" schools ( Alabama and Auburn) instead of mentioning the "muggle" HBCU's?
You know like Selma University, Tuskegee, Miles, Stillman, Alabama State University, Alabama A&M and Concordia to name a few ? It would make more sense to mention those HBCU's since you are supposed to be basing the college off of them. Granted the MMC worldview can be stunted and him not knowing about the HBCUs. You know what? Let me take that back. Unless he went to a majority white elementary, middle and high school, he should have known about the HBCU’s because he may have had teachers that went there.
I wanted to DNF faster but I wanted to wait until he got to school before I made my decision. Once I got there my mind was made up that I was not going to continue.
How the hell the dean of the school is going to show up the whole campus where we see students walking around doing magic duels, playing basketball, riding bikes and other student activities. Show murals of Kobe Bryant and Chiswick Bosman, say 15,000 students that attend, have a student exchange program show pics of past students shaking Martin Luther King.Jr. 's hand but not once mention where the hell the dorms are?
The reason why I say this is because if you have that many students on your campus and the fact you have to teleport to the campus since it's hidden from the outside world, where the hell are that many students going to sleep? Especially the ones who come from different countries. I bring this up because the world building of this book so far is so nonexistent. How the magical system works in this book is not there either. This book needs to be better researched instead of throwing a black pop culture reference every five seconds and the MMC saying the n-word with the a on the end all the time.
So this book is not for me at all.
If you want a book written by a Black Male Author with one of the main characters/pov is a Black Male Teenager that does magic and have to deal with things that shape them, I recommend the Blood Debt Series by Terry Benton Walker.
If you want a Black Fantasy or Magical Realism in General I have recs I collected
1.Blood Debt Series by Terry Benton Walker
2.The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn
3.The Belles Series by Dhonielle Clayton
4.The Marvellers series by Dhonielle Clayton
5.Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
6.Wings of Ebony Series by J.Elle
7.House of Marionne Series by J.Elle
8.The Poison We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
9.With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
10.The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
11.So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
12.Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
13.The Effigies Series by Sarah Raughley
14.The Bones of Ruin Series by Sarah Raughley
15.Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton
16.Raybear Series by Jordan Ifueko
17.Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
18.Blood like Magic Series by Liselle Sambury
19.Skin of the Sea Series by Natasha Bowen
20.The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
21.The Forge and Fracture Saga by Brittany N Williams
22.The Blood Gift Series by N. E. Davenport
23.A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Seriesby Roseanne A. Brown
24.This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
25.The Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
26.Crimson Hunter by N.D Jones
27.The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
28.Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
29.Bellamy and The Brute by Alicia Michaels
30.Daughters of Nri by Reni K Amayo
31.Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
32.Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
33.Kingdom of Souls Series by Rena Barron
34.Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
35.The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
36.Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
37.Dread Nation Series by Justina Ireland
38.A River of Royal Blood Series by Amanda Joy
39.A Song Blow Water by Bethany C. Morrow
40.The Goddness Twins by Yodassa Williams
41.Nic Blake and the Remarkables Series by Angie Thomas
42.Of Blood and Lightning by Micki Janae
43.Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
44.Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron
45.The Smoke That Thunders by Erhu Kome
46.A Phoenix First Must Burn Anthology
47.I Feed Her to the Beast by Jamison Shea
48.Legacy of Orïsha Series by Tomi Adeyemi
49.In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
50.It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass
51.Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray
52.Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brow
53.The Good Luck Girls Series by Charlotte Nicole Davis
54.Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
55.The Monsters We Defy by L. Penelope
Anything by Nnedi Okorafor
Anything by N.K Jemisin
Anything by P. Djèlí Clark
Anything by Kalynn Bayron
Anything by Octavia Butler
Stars: DNFED @25%
Start Date: 07/22/24
Ending Date: 07/29/24
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 432
Publishing Date: 05/07/24
Point of View: 1st Person
Setting: Helena, Al
My Blog :https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/07/29/blood-at-the-root-by-ladarrion-williams/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6449417911
Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book came to my attention thanks to Tiktok during the height of HAMU Tittok last year. HAMU (Hogwarts Agricultural and Magical University) was created by black titokers who loved Harry Potter and wanted to create a HBCU Hogwarts using the black experience and culture. Since around the same time, the video game, Hogwarts Legacy, was popular with a lot of people playing it.
For context, HBCU means Historically Black College and Universities since I am going to be saying that phrase a lot during this review.
So I started really seeing the author promoting this book calling it the Black Harry Potter with a Magical HBCU which for the most part sounded interesting. So when the arc came out I decided to request for it and got approved. I tried reading it three times and for some reason could get past the first few pages until I got the audiobook.
Let me tell you I should have listened to my subconscious and not even tried.
Why am I DNFing this book?
The author has been saying on their twitter and titkok pages as they heavily promoted this Black Magical HBCU as no black trauma which is further from the truth.
In the prologue and the first couple chapters this is what happens.
1.The prologue has the death of a parent and the first chapter has that character in the foster care system meaning they were in a single parent home to begin with. Meaning the absence of a father figure.
2.Honestly no mention of a father or father figure at all so far in the MMC life..
3.The community that the MMC was in didn’t step up for him and thought he killed his mom.
4.The potential Main Female Character was abandoned by her parents for doing magic.....
5.The MMC foster brother was abused by his foster parents.
6.The MMC pretty much didn’t even know he had a grandmother or relatives on his mama side of the family for ten years.
This is all in the first six chapters of the book. Like did he understand what black trauma actually means before saying it’s no black trauma in it?
I have been reading a lot of books with black authors with black characters and not once did these authors say that the book is not going through some kind of trauma. Hell, one of my favorite reads this year has the main two characters trying to figure out who framed their grandmother which led to her death and who killed their father. Those two characters go through a lot of shit in two books but don’t hear that author saying “Oh there is no trauma in it,”
The author is promoting this book to black boys so they can finally see themselves but have the main character hijack and steal a car in the first chapter. Something that most deniably get a black boy arrested and possibly killed for.
This book is trying so hard to appeal to blacks and the culture while still missing the mark. It doesn’t feel authentic because of it due to the fact Black Culture is not how many freaking black pop culture references you can make. You don’t need Temptations, Black Panther, Fast and the Fury or Drumline movie references for it to be black. Black Culture is using the experiences that black people can relate to. It's pretty using your own experience (not a caricature of an experience) to shape the story that people of that culture will understand. It is just too much and it comes off as being cringe instead of something you can enjoy.
Also instead of embracing the black culture it just feels like it’s mocking it especially when it comes to how the elders laugh and do things. Also how the black church is run as well.
The author is promoting this book as a Magical HBCU but not once did the author “shout out” the HBCUs in Alabama or in general but did shout the two most popular PWI schools in Alabama. Since the book takes place in Helena, Al before it goes to Louisiana.
It’s a line in particular where the MMC is learning the name of Magical HBCU.
<b>“I know,” I hear Mama Aya tell him. “I need you ta let him into Caiman.”Hearing that word, my mind goes back to last night, finding my mama’s college hoodie. The way they’re talking about it makes it seem like it’s University of Alabama or Auburn University."</b>
I'm not trying to be picky but if this supposed to have a HBCU like magic school why are mentioning the two PWI "muggle" schools ( Alabama and Auburn) instead of mentioning the "muggle" HBCU's?
You know like Selma University, Tuskegee, Miles, Stillman, Alabama State University, Alabama A&M and Concordia to name a few ? It would make more sense to mention those HBCU's since you are supposed to be basing the college off of them. Granted the MMC worldview can be stunted and him not knowing about the HBCUs. You know what? Let me take that back. Unless he went to a majority white elementary, middle and high school, he should have known about the HBCU’s because he may have had teachers that went there.
I wanted to DNF faster but I wanted to wait until he got to school before I made my decision. Once I got there my mind was made up that I was not going to continue.
How the hell the dean of the school is going to show up the whole campus where we see students walking around doing magic duels, playing basketball, riding bikes and other student activities. Show murals of Kobe Bryant and Chiswick Bosman, say 15,000 students that attend, have a student exchange program show pics of past students shaking Martin Luther King.Jr. 's hand but not once mention where the hell the dorms are?
The reason why I say this is because if you have that many students on your campus and the fact you have to teleport to the campus since it's hidden from the outside world, where the hell are that many students going to sleep? Especially the ones who come from different countries. I bring this up because the world building of this book so far is so nonexistent. How the magical system works in this book is not there either. This book needs to be better researched instead of throwing a black pop culture reference every five seconds and the MMC saying the n-word with the a on the end all the time.
So this book is not for me at all.
If you want a book written by a Black Male Author with one of the main characters/pov is a Black Male Teenager that does magic and have to deal with things that shape them, I recommend the Blood Debt Series by Terry Benton Walker.
If you want a Black Fantasy or Magical Realism in General I have recs I collected
1.Blood Debt Series by Terry Benton Walker
2.The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn
3.The Belles Series by Dhonielle Clayton
4.The Marvellers series by Dhonielle Clayton
5.Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
6.Wings of Ebony Series by J.Elle
7.House of Marionne Series by J.Elle
8.The Poison We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
9.With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
10.The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
11.So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
12.Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
13.The Effigies Series by Sarah Raughley
14.The Bones of Ruin Series by Sarah Raughley
15.Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton
16.Raybear Series by Jordan Ifueko
17.Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
18.Blood like Magic Series by Liselle Sambury
19.Skin of the Sea Series by Natasha Bowen
20.The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
21.The Forge and Fracture Saga by Brittany N Williams
22.The Blood Gift Series by N. E. Davenport
23.A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Seriesby Roseanne A. Brown
24.This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
25.The Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
26.Crimson Hunter by N.D Jones
27.The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
28.Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
29.Bellamy and The Brute by Alicia Michaels
30.Daughters of Nri by Reni K Amayo
31.Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
32.Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
33.Kingdom of Souls Series by Rena Barron
34.Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
35.The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
36.Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
37.Dread Nation Series by Justina Ireland
38.A River of Royal Blood Series by Amanda Joy
39.A Song Blow Water by Bethany C. Morrow
40.The Goddness Twins by Yodassa Williams
41.Nic Blake and the Remarkables Series by Angie Thomas
42.Of Blood and Lightning by Micki Janae
43.Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
44.Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron
45.The Smoke That Thunders by Erhu Kome
46.A Phoenix First Must Burn Anthology
47.I Feed Her to the Beast by Jamison Shea
48.Legacy of Orïsha Series by Tomi Adeyemi
49.In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran
50.It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass
51.Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray
52.Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brow
53.The Good Luck Girls Series by Charlotte Nicole Davis
54.Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
55.The Monsters We Defy by L. Penelope
Anything by Nnedi Okorafor
Anything by N.K Jemisin
Anything by P. Djèlí Clark
Anything by Kalynn Bayron
Anything by Octavia Butler
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
Which is thrown in a blender to see if the mix sticks to the wall.
So let's play the game of what worked and what didn't work for me.
What did work
What didn't work for me or needs to be worked on
Estella in a matter two weeks went through ( HEAVY SPOILERS)
ALL THIS HAPPENS IN A MATTER OF TWO DAMN WEEKS
TWO WEEKS!!
THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS TAKES PLACE IN THE MATTER OF SEVEN MONTHS BUT THE REST OF THE BOOK HAPPENS IN TWO WEEKS?
The reason why is jarring because you also expect me to believe in a whole romance that starts out with the MMC trying to kill the FMC because of mistaken identity which ends with them pretty much becoming blood bonded ( aka married) in a matter of two weeks. Especially with the final conflict, she has to believe in the "power of love " in order to defeat the twin. Also the fact that feels like a lot for a person who was pretty much not talking when she got to the castle due to the traumatic experience she had with losing her parents and the New York Government trying to cover it up. She was pretty much diagnosed with PTSD, Survivor’s Guilt, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression and you expect her to be ok after going though that much crap in a matter of two weeks?
I think it could have been a little bit more believable if it was maybe 2-3 months of her living in the Castle and all the secrets to unravel itself. But after two weeks, she barely unpacked her suitcase and got used to the country.
So that's why I'm at a crossroads with how I'm going to rate this book. It's not a bad book by any means but it just had so much going on which couldn't be executed well. If you get too much going on in the pot certain things are going to get lost in the sauce. Maybe just took out the whole twin thing and focused on the castle, Estela healing and coming to terms with what happened, her bonding with her Aunt which she found out about her parents and finding out they are witches and maybe the romance. Also I think it needs to be maybe 50-60 pages longer since it being 302 pages didn't give the plot time enough to breathe to me with all that mentioned is going on.
So this is how I'm going to rate it.
First 70% - 3.5 Stars
Last 30%- 2.0Stars
3.5 plus 2.5 =5.5
5.5 divided by 2= 2.75 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars
So 3 Stars it is.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book Stats
Stars: 3 Stars
Start Date: 06/28/24
Ending Date: 07/20/24
Genre: YA Gothic Horror Romantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count:304
Publishing Date: 07/30/24
Point of View: 1st Person
Setting: New York, USA and North Spain
CW: Suicide, Mental Health Issues, Death of Parents, Sex, Sexual Assault, and Violence
My Blog :https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/07/22/castle-of-the-cursed-by-romina-garber/
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6627564403
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC and Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Spoilers Galore
I was really enjoying this book until I got 70% in which the last 30% I was confused as hell. I think my subconscious knew that 30% was about to be a clusterfuck. I finished the first 70% of the book in three days but then I stopped and didn't finish it until two weeks later.
This book is literally
- Mental Health
- Murder Mystery
- Blood Hungry Castle
- Vampires
- Witches
- Other realms with a castle
- Evil Twins
- Instalove/Instalust
Which is thrown in a blender to see if the mix sticks to the wall.
So let's play the game of what worked and what didn't work for me.
What did work
- Main character dealing with mental health after a traumatic event.
- The whole mystery with the death of her parents.
- The narration and how the narrator spoke Spanish.
- The whole castle and how it works.
- The whole horror feeling which the story ( the first 70%) felt like Rose Red or Crimson Peak
What didn't work for me or needs to be worked on
- The whole twin thing felt like left field with families always having to have a set of twins with one being sacrificed.
- The fact we didn't get Estela's twin backstory until the 70% mark. Which to me you should be starting to wrap this story up and heading towards the climax and conclusion. Not still dumping important info that should have been introduced around the 50% mark.
- The fact Estella felt younger than 17 for the majority of the book. We also didn't know how Old Sebastian really was knowing that he was a vampire.
- Estella and Sebastian's romance was so forced and didn't feel natural. Especially the fact how fast the events happen in this book.
- The Pacing of the Events in this book - This is the biggest issue for me. The fact the majority of the book (with the expectation of the first three chapters) takes place in the matter of two weeks is a little bit jarring. Which is why the whole book feels rushed and not a satisfying conclusion.
Estella in a matter two weeks went through ( HEAVY SPOILERS)
- Found out your parents had a family.
- Go to a small village in Spain
- Meet your aunt you never knew you had.
- Find a vampire that you thought you made up but didn't which you called shadow beast which they tried to kill you.
- Be in a castle you find out that feeds in people's blood and corpses aka little shop of horrors style.
- Finds out the castle turns blood and corpses into compost in order to create special seeds that have healing properties.
- Befriends the local Librarian and Learns Spanish well enough to understand and speak it. I guess Duolingo worked for her
- Finds out you have an uncle which is your Aunt's twin brother.
- Find out you are a Twin and start getting memories when yall was five years old.
- Find out you may have witch blood and come from a family of witches that is tied to the house.
- Found out your uncle is trying to get your twin back because he feels guilty.
- Having the local librarian think you are your twin sister that he had a crush on at five years old.
- Finds out the twin was sacrificed and is living in another realm in another castle where they were bullied.
- Your twin comes back by taking to your Aunt's body.
- Find out the Vampire aka your shadow beast made a deal with your twin and was pretty much flirting with him.
- Find out your Vampire "boyfriend" is a Vampire Prince also from another realm who killed people. Prince Vlad Meets Edward Cullen
- Fell in love with that Vampire Prince and got bonded to him.
- Turn 18 and have to fight your twin sister for control of your body.
ALL THIS HAPPENS IN A MATTER OF TWO DAMN WEEKS
TWO WEEKS!!
THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS TAKES PLACE IN THE MATTER OF SEVEN MONTHS BUT THE REST OF THE BOOK HAPPENS IN TWO WEEKS?
The reason why is jarring because you also expect me to believe in a whole romance that starts out with the MMC trying to kill the FMC because of mistaken identity which ends with them pretty much becoming blood bonded ( aka married) in a matter of two weeks. Especially with the final conflict, she has to believe in the "power of love " in order to defeat the twin. Also the fact that feels like a lot for a person who was pretty much not talking when she got to the castle due to the traumatic experience she had with losing her parents and the New York Government trying to cover it up. She was pretty much diagnosed with PTSD, Survivor’s Guilt, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression and you expect her to be ok after going though that much crap in a matter of two weeks?
I think it could have been a little bit more believable if it was maybe 2-3 months of her living in the Castle and all the secrets to unravel itself. But after two weeks, she barely unpacked her suitcase and got used to the country.
So that's why I'm at a crossroads with how I'm going to rate this book. It's not a bad book by any means but it just had so much going on which couldn't be executed well. If you get too much going on in the pot certain things are going to get lost in the sauce. Maybe just took out the whole twin thing and focused on the castle, Estela healing and coming to terms with what happened, her bonding with her Aunt which she found out about her parents and finding out they are witches and maybe the romance. Also I think it needs to be maybe 50-60 pages longer since it being 302 pages didn't give the plot time enough to breathe to me with all that mentioned is going on.
So this is how I'm going to rate it.
First 70% - 3.5 Stars
Last 30%- 2.0Stars
3.5 plus 2.5 =5.5
5.5 divided by 2= 2.75 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars
So 3 Stars it is.
Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Book Stats
Stars: 4.5 Stars
Start Date: 07/11/24
Ending Date: 07/16/24
Genre: Memoir/Self-Help/Feminism
Form: Physical Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 256
Publishing Date: 07/30/24
Point of View: 1st Person
Setting: Los Angles, Ca
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/loud-by-drew-afualo/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6664680722
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/loud-by-drew-afualo/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6664680722
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
I won the ARC of this book in a Giveaway!
It’s funny how I come across this book because honestly I never heard of Drew Afualo until this point.
Yes, I am on titktok but I never saw her content graced my for you page. So Edelweiss sent me an email in April saying they have a webinar talking to authors and their future books called Macmillan Presents. There were three authors’ books that I had the E-arcs of so I signed up to hear them talk about their books that I was excited about. I didn’t realize that the actual key speaker of the webinar was Drew’s interview with her publisher about her upcoming book and also it was a giveaway of an Arc copy of her book. I almost forgot to enter the giveaway until the day of the webinar. So I heard Drew speak for the first time and to be honest, she really didn’t sell me on her book for some reason. It sounds nice but I don’t think it was something I would pick up and read. So I got an email in May saying that I won the ARC copy of this book which I was floored that I won. Especially the fact that I entered the giveaway an hour before it ended and the fact I wasn’t sold on the book after listening to Drew talking about it. So I read a few pages but didn’t go back to it. It wasn’t until I saw NetGalley having the audiobook to it that I decided to request it and got approved.
This book greatly surprised me because it feels so authentic and relatable. Drew uses her experiences with her family, love life, feminism, and the workforce to give advice on how to live life to the fullest to get what you deserve. I consider it a memoir and self help book because she does talk about her life but what she learns in life to help give advice. The way she talks about her family is so relatable because you can tell that she does not play about them at all. She most def doesn't play with her Mom and her sister. You can tell how much respect she has for Mom ( and her dad) which shaped her views on certain things she says in this book. Listening to the audiobook really helped as well since it was Drew narrating her story. So I enjoyed it, which I recommend if you need something quick to read and give you a confidence boost. Some of the things she said I already knew but sometimes you need to hear it from someone else who has been through similar things to help you out.
Here's my copy!
Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker
What could be approved on
This is still one of my top reads of the year but first got the edge on it by a hair. Can't wait for the third one!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book Stats
Stars: 4 Stars
Start Date: 04/30/24
Ending Date: 06/19/24
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 480
Publishing Date: 04/23/24
Point of View: Dual 1st Person, 3rd person
Setting: New Orleans, La
My Blog:
Goodreads:
Goodreads:
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the E-Arc and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Blood Justice follows the Trudeau Twins Nine months after the events of Blood Debts. After they successfully cleared their grandmother's name and reclaim the Gen Council Throne. A new murder mystery with the Twins Mom, Marie Traudeu ,who is the new Gen Queen and the main suspect. History is repeating itself as the Traudeu twins have to save their family yet again while trying to keep themselves together from falling apart. Old and new enemies come out as they form alliances to try and get the Gen Council Throne away from Trudeaus once again.
I loved this one but for some reason, I felt like the first one was still better. I guess it has the case of "Second Novel Syndrome" where certain things Terry did approve on but for some reason it felt longer than the first one.
So lets play a game of What Worked and What needs to be approved on.
What worked for me.
- Unapologetically Black- Just like the first one, this one is Blackity Black to the bone while it does tackle issues like racism and homophobia . It still feels like a love letter to the Black and LBGTQ communities.
- Chris' Rage- She did what had to be done and it was justifiable to the people she did it too. You just get tired of our people being treated the way we have been treated for centuries and you just want to do something about it.
- The Political Intrigue- It was better in this one with certain characters making allegiances with people.
- Getting more of Valentina and her mom bonding which we got more of her heritage.
- Clem feels anger and hopelessness which he feels like he has to do on his own. Clem is still my favorite so the ending had me in pieces. BRING MY BABY BOY HOME TERRY! lol
- The Moon King introduction, backstory, and the upcoming war. His whole introduction at the end felt like the ending of HP and The Goblet of Fire which was a total " Oh Shit" moment .
- The fourth and fifth acts of the book which is the reason why I'm giving it a four and not lower. Those two acts was a total " What the fuck is going on!!" for me.
- The Body Count- Terry said it is supposed to be the Black Game of Thrones and with the political scheming, the body's dropping ,and a potential war, it's getting there.
- The Narration of the audiobook was still good as hell.
What could be approved on
- Chris' Rage- It went from " Chris Girl Yes!" to" Chris Girl No!" towards the end when she almost made a terrible mistake. I'm glad her grandma saved her from herself which should give her a chance for development for the 3rd book.
- Mama Trudeau barely being Queen of the Gen Council- The fact that she was out of commission again for the majority of the book with her being framed for murder thus being in jail. I can forgive the first book for her being sick because of the curse on her but barely seeing her in action again? Especially the fact we know thanks to the first one that she is powerful as hell and pretty much the rock of the family. She better get part of the action in the 3rd one.
- The Trudeaus need Gen-Magic allied families-The fact the Trudeaus still feel like they really don't have allies while everyone else is scheming against them. There are maybe three people I would consider allies but they need whole families now.
- Where the hell did Ursula go? - There was not enough Ursula in this book which is a shame because she was one of the strongest side characters in the first book. She is my favorite aunt and I love her relationship with Clem so it's sad we really didn't get a lot of her in this book like the first one. We also need more of the sisters as a whole.
- Eveline Beaumont being a villain- For some reason I just can't get behind her being a villain like Lenora was. Even if she was pulling the strings behind Lenora with her being a puppet and Eveline being the main puppeteer. I do like her scheming with Val but something about her character is missing. I guess Lenora was the grandma who kept up the mess while Eveline did her shit behind the screens. She is supposed to feel like a bigger threat with her doing what she is trying to do with Gen-Magic but she honestly doesn't.
- The whole Mystery this time felt like it was solved too quickly. Like do you really believe people are going to believe what happened? I know it's a magical and spiritual community but come on!
- The Third act of the book was dragging which took me forever to finish.
This is still one of my top reads of the year but first got the edge on it by a hair. Can't wait for the third one!!
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Book Stats
Stars: 3.5 Stars
Start Date: 05 /23/24
Ending Date: 05/31/24
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Form: Audiobook Arc/ E-Arc
Page Count: 321 pages
Publishing Date: 06/04/24
Point of View: Dual 1st Person/3rd Person
Setting: New Crosshaven
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/four-eids-and-a-funeral-by-faridah-abike-iyimide-and-adiba-jaigirdar/
GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6526021026
Stars: 3.5 Stars
Start Date: 05 /23/24
Ending Date: 05/31/24
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Form: Audiobook Arc/ E-Arc
Page Count: 321 pages
Publishing Date: 06/04/24
Point of View: Dual 1st Person/3rd Person
Setting: New Crosshaven
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/four-eids-and-a-funeral-by-faridah-abike-iyimide-and-adiba-jaigirdar/
GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6526021026
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Four Eids and a Funeral is about two people who used to be best friends, Twia and Said, that are brought back together in their hometown after the death of a beloved Librarian of the town. Once the Islamic Center, a place that means a lot to them and the community catches fire, these two once best friends now enemies have to team up in order to save it.
Two reasons why this story got 3.5 stars.
1. The Librarian Teacher-Didn't really have an emotional connection with the Librarian teacher who was supposed to be instrumental in Said, Tiwa and countless other people's lives. For being the catalyst that started our story off to get our MMC back to his hometown, she didn't have an emotional impact on me. The fact the authors didn't used the flashbacks (which was done well in this story) to have one or two flashbacks dealing with showing the connection and impact she have with our two main characters would have helped the story. Especially since her death was one of things besides the Islamic Center helping bring the main two characters together. Also the fact she left her cat with them so she got to have a very special relationship with them but the fact we was shown but just told left it feeling flat
2. The conflict- This book was looking at four stars until the real reason why our main characters went from friends to enemies. I swear I felt like the authors forgot why the main two characters was didn’t talk to each other anymore mid- through the book and just slap that in the book. That was the most ill- contrived conflict I have ever seen which hurted one of the best characters of the book besides the main two characters. Which made the actions of this character through the book as if they were trying to atone for what they did and not just actively trying to get the two main characters together. Then when confronted about it they give one the weakest excuses as to why they did it and all was forgiven.
For the most part this was an ok story if you want a cute short Rom-Com story with low stakes, a little hint of racism, dealing with grief, and saving the community. The narration of the story was good as well. So I recommend this if you need a palette cleanser and something quick and light to read.
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446918379
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/masquerade-by-o-o-sangoyomi/
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Book Stats
Stars: 4.5 Stars
Start Date:05/02/24
Ending Date:05 /18/24
Genre: Historical Fiction Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ALC
Page Count: 352
Publishing Date: 07/02/24
Point of View: 1st Person
Setting: 15th Century West Africa
GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446918379
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/masquerade-by-o-o-sangoyomi/
Thank you MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review. Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Masquerade is a West African Nigerian/ Yoruba retelling of Hades and Persephone. Ododo is a 19 year old Black Smith who the village people call witches lives in Timbuktu with her mother who is also a Black Smith. One day she is kidnapped and whisked away to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀ after giving a stranger a rose that she foraged in her shop. The stranger ends up being Aremo, the warrior king who has taken over Yorùbáland including Ododo’s home, Timbuktu. Captured by her beauty, singing, and blacksmith skills, he wants her to be his wife and rule by his side. As Ododo steps into becoming his wife and her role in the court, political and court intrigue ensues for the quest of power.
This book is like a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. You put all your ingredients in for your dinner and let it cook slowly. You read the instructions of the slow cooker and you trust the process. When your dinner is done, the meat, vegetables and rice you had there is tender, juicy, and cooked to perfection. That is what Masquerade is to the fullest. It’s a book that you just got to let it cook and you’ll be surprised with the contents.
The author weaves a basket of storytelling, world building and character development in the eyes of Ododo and how women are treated in general. Her character development from a 19 year old girl who was black smith taking from home to marry the warrior king to being the most powerful Women in Yorubaland is perfectly crafted. She is a woman that as the saying goes “I support women’s rights and wrongs.” can be fitted perfectly with her. She did what she had to do in order to survive.
I do have to say that if you are a person who doesn't like slow pace books, this may not be for you. Even though I am not too fond of slow paced books myself, some parts are slow but I can tell the author was building on to something. So you have to trust the process because the payoff is so good. Like the last 30% of the book was cooking but the last 10% was straight fire. But it is the reason why I can’t give it a full five stars because some parts were a little boring but it’s a book that if you push through you will love it. I listened to the audiobook in which the narrator, Ariel Blake, was amazing with her voice. Which she did hold my attention to the story.
The characters of this book are morally grey and challenging at best. Some are doing things for themselves, while others are doing things for others. One thing I do have to say is that you have to watch your back in this book because you don’t know who is going to pull the dagger at you for their personal grain. This book pretty much becomes if Game of Thrones was set in 15th century Africa. The political scheming and intrigue was top notch. Like I just said you don’t know who to trust and who is your ally or your foe.
I will say this book is loosely based on Hades and Persephone to the point it feels like more an inspiration than an actual retelling. If you are looking for a traditional love story with the two characters based on Hades and Persephone (cough to fix your Lore Olympus fix cough) this is not the book for you. The love between Ododo and Aremo is a walking red flag, toxic, and who can use the other.
The king may say he loved her but he did kidnap her, never fully thought that she could be his equal even if he was using her for Intel, was using gifts for love, and almost turned on her at a drop of a dime when serving his interest. Even if was full of charm and had some great lines, he still was a tyrant who didn’t mind who he killed and took land from to increase his power. Even if “You are the bones that make up my spine.” was a good line, it shows what a good charmer he was.
Ododo never fully loved him but loved the fact that she could gain with him power and social standing. Like sure, he was a walking red flag that she should have walked away from but each day she strayed she realized she liked the power and freedom it gave her being with him. Until she realized that he will never appreciate the things she did for him which she had to take matters in her own hands. I also will not call Ododo an “Evil Persephone” either. This woman was put in certain situations that were not ideal and she thought about her own survival/ place in the kingdom which she learned that quickly.
There is also social commentary on how women are treated and how they can get their agency back. Like the black smiths who are women are called witches for no reason at all. Who they pretty saw how one person rose in the ranks and thought they can all do it too. It shows how women are treated by the moms, the guys who think they are inferior and how often they are pitted against each other instead of being unified. Like I said before I support women's rights and wrongs which this book makes you think.
This is a debut for this author but this is a masterclass on how you tell a story that if you trust what the author is trying to do, it is a payoff. I highly recommend this one and can’t wait to see what Ms. Sangoyomi writes next. I just wish I had the physical arc of it to put in my library instead of the digital. Lol Will be buying this one!
Also lets give it up for the beautiful cover!
The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Book Stats
Stars: 2 Stars
Start Date: 05/02/24
Ending Date: 05 /12/24
Genre: YA Historical Romance Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ ALC
Page Count: 368
Publishing Date: 05/14/24
Point of View: Dual 1st Person
Setting: Civil War America
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/13/the-dangerous-ones-by-lauren-black-wood/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6447014930
Stars: 2 Stars
Start Date: 05/02/24
Ending Date: 05 /12/24
Genre: YA Historical Romance Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ ALC
Page Count: 368
Publishing Date: 05/14/24
Point of View: Dual 1st Person
Setting: Civil War America
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/13/the-dangerous-ones-by-lauren-black-wood/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6447014930
Thank you MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review. Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Dangerous Ones is set in the Antebellum/ Civil War period where vampires had slaves, were helping the confederate states keep and uphold the Constitution of Slavery in the Southern States of America. Jerusalem, a former slave who ran away after her family was killed by a set of vampires who enslaved her, met a group of people who are called Saints. Saints are people who have demi-god strength and powers who can kill vampires, and are helping the Union Army in the war effort to unify the country and kill the vampires. She meets Alexi, a 300 year old vampire who is helping the Saints and the Union Army in the cause. Jerusalem and Alexi are both looking for the same vampire who caused them harm. For Jerusalem, it’s the one who enslaved her, killed her family and may have her brother. For Alexi, it’s the one who made him a monster and tortured him.
This had so much potential to be good because the premise reminded me so much of Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Dread Nation. Taking the historical event like the Civil war and flip on its head by adding Vampires or other supernatural creatures trying to help the Confederate States and Zombies that change the course of the war.
This really needs to be edited better because the chapters are too long with the POV Switches between Alexi and Jerusalem inside one chapter felt disjointed. Then add the fact you also have it switching from present time to flashbacks from Jerusalem or Alexi in the chapter as well. This book is 350 pages and it’s only 15 chapters which could have spilt up to at least 4 or 5 chapters. One of the chapters was 41 pages long which in the audiobook it was an hour and seventeen mins long. Some people's attention span is not long in which a couple times I found myself zone out.
I really don’t like how the flashbacks were used as well. You go from her running away from her enslavers to two years since that happened and using the flashback to fill the holes between those times. Like how Jerusalem met the Saints and Alexi is all flashback that you get either in her or his pov but not in real time. Something that important should be told in real time and then you can time jump. It doesn’t work when you are trying to establish a relationship between Jerusalem and the Saints that she met after she ran away. It really doesn’t work when you are trying to convince readers that a love story is supposed to be brewing between our main two characters. When part of the development and interaction is flashback and not in the present.
It is almost like cutting corners while doing all the work. I do like fast pace books that get to the point but I like well throughout fast pace books which this one is not it. Especially if it’s at the detriment of you developing your characters, the relationship between the characters, the world building and the story you are trying to tell as a whole.
Jerusalem is just so damn impulsive for damn good which I’m trying so hard to understand since have been enslaved her whole life and her family has been killed. She is really the definition of fighting now, asking questions later which gets her so much trouble. Like if she was near Harriett Tubman she would smack the living shit out of her. She is 18 but the way she verbally talks down to Alexi who is supposed to be in love with her, she feels like a two year old learning a new word and keeps repeating it over and over again. Which that word is either dumbass, smartass, stupid-ass, cute ass, white boy, and anything else that she sticks the world ass to. It's supposed to be playful banter but just not working at all and the borderline feels toxic. Jerusalem’s narrator seems like she was always out of breath as if she was reading too fast. You can clearly hear her intake of breath which gets very annoying as you continue to listen.
This was supposed to be set in 1863 but the way Jerusalem talks modern you would say this was set in the present day. Who the hell in 1863 going to use the word “reparations"? Especially the fact it’s during the war meaning that the slaves are not officially free yet. The modern talk could have worked if this was a time traveling story. Like if she was from our time and get sent back to 1863 to help an ancestor who was an OG saint and former slave. Then it would have made sense since she wouldn’t be from that time at all.
Alexi's narrator was good but the fact he is supposed to be an eternally immorally 18 year old teenage boy who is just 300 year old, doesn't fit the narrator's voice at all. He should sound younger like a teenager and not like he is almost a 40 years old man even if he is 300 years old. I cringed every time he called Jerusalem his nickname he gave her which is Tiny or called her small. He just doesn’t sound right saying it at all. Also the fact that he is supposed to be in love with her but feels like obsession more than love.
This doesn’t feel properly researched at all as well. The only battle that was mentioned was the Battle of Gettysburg and the only historical figures mentioned were Lee and Grant. Like there wasn't more battle than that in Civil War that you could have incorporated the vampire into. Since the author did put the Underground Railroad they could have easily made a character that was almost like Harriet Tubman and made her into a Saint.
The characters are super underdeveloped to the point that if the character is not either Alexi or Jerusalem, they are very disposable and don't add anything of value to the story. Its one character I was supposed to care about but I could care less once something happens to them. Even the main villain feels so one dimensional and just there for the main two characters to have something in common. She is supposed to be 3,000 years old aka created before the time of Christ for goodness sakes and it’s nothing interesting about her. Like where did she come from? Why did she think it was a good idea to go to America, go to the south and help the south with slavery? She has zero backstory at all! Then for her to kill so easily at the hands of an 18 year old child? For a story about Vampires there is hardly any lore for the vampires that are in the story.
For a story that is supposed to be about Civil War and incorporating vampires and demi-gods into the story, the world building and magical system explanation feels so nonexistent. Ok the Vampires come from Europe but why did they decide to come to America and own slaves? The Saints are supposed to have demi-god powers but how do they get them? What makes them so special to be born with this super strength that others are not? Did we have to make a damn joke about the Underground Railroad not being “Underground”? Did we have to spend 10-15 something pages of the Underground council trying to decide if the vampire can use the passages with Jerusalem just for him to shift as a bird to go with her?
This book had so much potential to fall so flat.
- One Dimensional Main and Side Characters
- One Dimensional Villain with zero backstory
- No World Building
- All over the place Storytelling
- Flashbacks that really took you out of the story.
- Choppy Writing
- Modern Language that didn’t need to be used in 1863.
- No Character Development
- Forced Romance to the point it felt cringe worthy.
It honestly would have been better if it was set in the present day instead of the Civil War period.
I was going to read This Wicked Halls from this author but after being so disappointed in the book it’s a no go.
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Book Stats
Stars: 4.5Stars
Start Date: 04/12/24
Ending Date: 04/30/24
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 416
Publishing Date: 04/04/23
Point of View: Dual 1st Person, 3rd person
Setting: New Orleans, La
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/13/blood-debts-by-terry-benton-walker/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6037376035
Stars: 4.5Stars
Start Date: 04/12/24
Ending Date: 04/30/24
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Form: E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 416
Publishing Date: 04/04/23
Point of View: Dual 1st Person, 3rd person
Setting: New Orleans, La
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/13/blood-debts-by-terry-benton-walker/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6037376035
Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review.
Blood Debts is about twin 16 year magical siblings, Christina and Clement Traudeu, who are caring for their sick mom after the tragic death of their father. They made a discovery after a doctor visit that she wasn’t sick at all but was cursed by a person who does Generational Magic. As they trying to figure out who cursed their mother, that are unraveling the secrets of a 30 year old murder which took their lives of their grandparents who was killed by a lynch mob of a murder they didn’t commit. It all comes ahead as they figure out not only the secret they took from their grandparents and who cursed their mom but who stole their grandmother’s throne as the head of the Generational Council. As they try to clear their grandmother's name and take everything that was stolen from their family back.
Love this one for the most part but it needs more world building and political/court intrigue which is why it didn’t get a full five stars from me. They are both in the book which are done pretty well for the part but it needs to be more done in explaining the Gen council. It’s the fact it only feels like two families that are actually fighting for the Gen Council throne instead of multiple gen magical families. The author describes this book as the “Black Game of Thrones” but in Game of Thrones, you had multiple families fighting for the Iron Throne. Also you had houses allying with each other and also betraying each other to get more power and closer to the throne. It needs to be more of wheeling, dealing and scheming in the second one and not just two families doing it. The formation of the magical system and is explained is solid. I love how they do incarnations and the fact you have different gods that help them.
I should have read this one like last year when I had the arc. I really enjoyed the family, magical, mystery and political aspect of it. I always feel like what makes a good book is that if you can take the fantasy out of it and still put it towards real life and relate to it, it is this book. I think any group of people who face adversity can understand this and relate to this book but this book is really a love letter to Black and Queer Community. Certain things in this book you wouldn’t truly understand if you are not a member one or both because it is so deeply rooted in our culture. I am most definitely reading the second one!
Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo
4.0
Happy Book Publishing Day!!
Book Stats
Stars: 4.5 Stars
Start Date : 01/21/24
Ending Date: 02/02/24
Genre: YA Contemporary Poetry In-Verse Coming of Age
Form: Digital E-Arc
Page Count: 384
Publishing Date: 02/06/24
Point of View: 1st Person In Verse
Setting: Washington DC
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/02/06/bright-red-fruit-by-safia-elhillo/
StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2bed7643-e8f2-4f21-8b8d-f6f623245fad?redirect=true
Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc in exchange for a review.
Bright Red Fruit is a story about a Mother and Daughter who are trying to understand the other in the backdrop of a country where one is trying to blend into the culture and the other is trying to uphold the customs of the culture of the country they come from. Samira aka "Sam" is a 16 year Sundanese inspiring Poet who is living in Washington DC from Sudan. Her mom thinks she is " fast" because she is at the age where boys want to talk to her and she keeps hearing " rumors" about her from family members but never asks Sam herself about it or just trusts Sam. Sam also just wants to hang out with her friends, wear the same make up and wear cute clothes that are appropriate for her age. Her mother is so strict with her that she doesn't even want her to go to the movies with her friends. When she gets grounded for going to a party with her friends behind her mom's back, she starts posting her poetry on an online forum which gathers the attention of Horus. A poet who performs in local shops and national tours, who is getting national recognition but has a shady reputation and is also nine years her senior. Once she starts to share her poems with him, feelings she never had before start to develop.
This story is written in verse as you drive into the thoughts and Poems of Sam as she gets deeper in her lies she keeps from her mom and her friends about her new " friendship" with Horus. The author uses the myth of Hades and Persephone as imagery to explore and paint a tale between a mother's love for a daughter, a daughter who just wants to be understood, trusted, loved and found a first love, and the danger that first love happened to be.
I really wanted to give this book five stars since I loved it for the most part but for some reason I felt that Sam's character growth and the Mama as well was kind of underdeveloped. I felt like the conflict was too neatly resolved at the end which I felt Sam's character didn't fully learn a lesson. Especially the fact she wanted her mother to trust her and let up on her strictness and at the first big test that her mom did to show that she trusts her she failed big time. Granted, I know she's 16 and I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt since she's still growing and she was also manipulated as well , but when they had such a good scene beforehand when both mother and daughter talked about their feelings and both feeling like being misunderstood from the other and the first step towards that was the mom showing trust towards you and you break it? Then I feel like you still didn't learn from it until you found out the guy was completely using you and manipulating you to get what he wanted.
I love the Hades and Persephone as imagery that is woven throughout the story with the different Poem from different poets to the parallels that Sam, her Mama and Horus are to Persephone, Demeter, and Hades. Also the play of the pomegranate with the name of the book . All and All I really enjoyed this one since I am a big fan of in verse books which this one is no expectation because it was written beautifully but I just wanted more character growth from our main character.
Book Stats
Stars: 4.5 Stars
Start Date : 01/21/24
Ending Date: 02/02/24
Genre: YA Contemporary Poetry In-Verse Coming of Age
Form: Digital E-Arc
Page Count: 384
Publishing Date: 02/06/24
Point of View: 1st Person In Verse
Setting: Washington DC
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/02/06/bright-red-fruit-by-safia-elhillo/
StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2bed7643-e8f2-4f21-8b8d-f6f623245fad?redirect=true
Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc in exchange for a review.
Bright Red Fruit is a story about a Mother and Daughter who are trying to understand the other in the backdrop of a country where one is trying to blend into the culture and the other is trying to uphold the customs of the culture of the country they come from. Samira aka "Sam" is a 16 year Sundanese inspiring Poet who is living in Washington DC from Sudan. Her mom thinks she is " fast" because she is at the age where boys want to talk to her and she keeps hearing " rumors" about her from family members but never asks Sam herself about it or just trusts Sam. Sam also just wants to hang out with her friends, wear the same make up and wear cute clothes that are appropriate for her age. Her mother is so strict with her that she doesn't even want her to go to the movies with her friends. When she gets grounded for going to a party with her friends behind her mom's back, she starts posting her poetry on an online forum which gathers the attention of Horus. A poet who performs in local shops and national tours, who is getting national recognition but has a shady reputation and is also nine years her senior. Once she starts to share her poems with him, feelings she never had before start to develop.
This story is written in verse as you drive into the thoughts and Poems of Sam as she gets deeper in her lies she keeps from her mom and her friends about her new " friendship" with Horus. The author uses the myth of Hades and Persephone as imagery to explore and paint a tale between a mother's love for a daughter, a daughter who just wants to be understood, trusted, loved and found a first love, and the danger that first love happened to be.
I really wanted to give this book five stars since I loved it for the most part but for some reason I felt that Sam's character growth and the Mama as well was kind of underdeveloped. I felt like the conflict was too neatly resolved at the end which I felt Sam's character didn't fully learn a lesson. Especially the fact she wanted her mother to trust her and let up on her strictness and at the first big test that her mom did to show that she trusts her she failed big time. Granted, I know she's 16 and I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt since she's still growing and she was also manipulated as well , but when they had such a good scene beforehand when both mother and daughter talked about their feelings and both feeling like being misunderstood from the other and the first step towards that was the mom showing trust towards you and you break it? Then I feel like you still didn't learn from it until you found out the guy was completely using you and manipulating you to get what he wanted.
I love the Hades and Persephone as imagery that is woven throughout the story with the different Poem from different poets to the parallels that Sam, her Mama and Horus are to Persephone, Demeter, and Hades. Also the play of the pomegranate with the name of the book . All and All I really enjoyed this one since I am a big fan of in verse books which this one is no expectation because it was written beautifully but I just wanted more character growth from our main character.
Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture by Zeba Blay
3.0
Book Stats
Stars: 3.5 Stars
Start Date : 02/7/24
Ending Date: 02/11/24
Genre: Non-Fiction Essays about Race, Feminism etc
Form: Digital E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 240
Publishing Date: 10/19/21
Point of View: Collection of Essays
My Blog:https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/02/11/carefree-black-girls-by-zeba-blay/
StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ee092c7a-a313-456e-a034-20b56b4f469f
In my backlog of Netgalley arcs that I never got a chance to read and review but since it's Black History Month ,Why Not?
Carefree Black Girls is a collection of essays written on topics of race, colorism, mental health, girlhood, problematic faves, and everything else in between for the Black Woman and Black Girl in today's society. Zeba Blay, having written about pop culture for many years( which she was the first one to be credited with the term Carefree Black Girls) looks through the lens of her own experiences growing up a black woman as well as other black women who are a part of Black Culture/ Black Excellence.
There are Eight Essays along with an Introduction which I'm going to rate individually so I can get a collective rating.
Introduction: 4.0 Stars- This was a solid introduction which the author told about her motivation about why she decided to write these essays.
Bodies: 3.0 Stars- This one was pretty much about Lizzo , fatphobia and fake body positivity in today's society. How black female bodies who are more curvier are treated compared to bodies that are slimer. This was ok for the most because I am a big girl myself so I relate but for some reason this essay went on too long. Like the first part was about Lizzo and towards the end it felt like a little bit of a tangent which I felt a lot of essays as I listened tended to do.
She's a Freak: 3.0 Stars- Honestly this one really could have been good if it didn't feel like a tangent again towards the end. This was about the sexualization of black women of young age which she talked about Megan the Stallion and how she owns her sexuality. Also brief talks about the double standard of black woman sexuality and black male sexuality.
Man,This Shit is Draining.: 5.0 Stars- Talking about the work field and how it's draining to report on certain topics that the author does which she gets hate mail and racial slurs thrown at her. This one gets a 5 stars because that last part when she went on F- bomb laced rant telling these people what they can do, I felt that shit. lol
Extra Black:2.5 Stars- Talks about Colorism in Hollywood and how Black Skinned Actresses are more quicker to get roles than Dark Skinned Actresses. This one needed more research and felt like she skimmed over things that really could have hammered her message down more. She did briefly talk about Old Hollywood but I think she really could have used that to her advance. She could have really nailed it home on the fact that actresses like Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, because of their light skin didn't play the Maid/ Mammy roles compared to Hattie McDonald, Butterfly McQueen and others who were darker skinned. That while yes ,Lena and Dorothy were still discriminated against because they were black so they still couldn't get major roles, they still were in a better position than Hattie and Butterfly. She just skimmed over it briefly but she did mention that Lena didn't get a role that later a white actress did get because she would be the love interest of White Male Co-Star. Like Come on this is Old Hollywood during the Jim Crow Laws. We knew that was not going to fly. Thank God for Virginia Vs. Loving...
Cardi B is So Problematic: 1.0 Star- I don't think I needed a whole freaking essay about Cardi B and Problematic things she has done and said. Also dealing with her beef with Nicki Minaj. This should have been left on the cutting room floor. With Lizzo, I understood since we were talking about Body Positivity. With Cardi it just felt like it had no sense of direction. Do we want to talk about Transphobia in the Black Community which needs to be talked about for real? Do you want to talk about Racism? Do we want to talk about Allyship and what to do to help the Black LBGTQ Community? Do we just want to go on a tangent about Cardi for 45 mins and just tack on Transphobia, Racism, Allyship in there somewhere? Because I didn't need this one at all. She could have just done an essay about trying to be an Black Woman Ally or done research about the Ball Culture and its impact on the Black Queer Community.
GirlHood:2.5 Stars- This felt all over the place which I was trying to figure out the correlations with Girlhood but I did like the fact of her being a Spice Girl Fan. The first part with her talking about growing up being a fan of Spice Girls and relating to Mel B is relatable to girlhood but the last part... I don't even know. I really thought it would be tied back into the She's a Freak Essay on how black girls get called "fast" or get sexualized because some girl bodies developed so quickly that sometimes they lose the innocence of girlhood. Like being 10 or 12 years old and because your body is developed a grown ass man is looking at you. I really thought she could have gone that route with it.
Strong Black Lead: 5.0 Stars- The Strongest of the essays for some reason. I enjoyed this one and how the author talked about her mental health.
Free of Cares: 4.0 Stars- This was a pretty good essay to end it and tie in the name of the Book.
Final Rating: 3.5 Stars
I just feel like with a lot of these essays, she really could have made her arguments stronger by getting examples from the past to back up her examples of the present. Yes ,I know she's in her 30's like me but most of these essays feel like a tangent or a rant and not a well thought out essay about a topic she's compelled to talk about. Honestly her best two Essays were the essays dealing with her personal experiences more than trying to link it with pop culture. Maybe she should have done a collection of essays more forcing on her experience being a black woman alone and just left the pop culture element out of it.
Stars: 3.5 Stars
Start Date : 02/7/24
Ending Date: 02/11/24
Genre: Non-Fiction Essays about Race, Feminism etc
Form: Digital E-Arc/ Audiobook
Page Count: 240
Publishing Date: 10/19/21
Point of View: Collection of Essays
My Blog:https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/02/11/carefree-black-girls-by-zeba-blay/
StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ee092c7a-a313-456e-a034-20b56b4f469f
In my backlog of Netgalley arcs that I never got a chance to read and review but since it's Black History Month ,Why Not?
Carefree Black Girls is a collection of essays written on topics of race, colorism, mental health, girlhood, problematic faves, and everything else in between for the Black Woman and Black Girl in today's society. Zeba Blay, having written about pop culture for many years( which she was the first one to be credited with the term Carefree Black Girls) looks through the lens of her own experiences growing up a black woman as well as other black women who are a part of Black Culture/ Black Excellence.
There are Eight Essays along with an Introduction which I'm going to rate individually so I can get a collective rating.
Introduction: 4.0 Stars- This was a solid introduction which the author told about her motivation about why she decided to write these essays.
Bodies: 3.0 Stars- This one was pretty much about Lizzo , fatphobia and fake body positivity in today's society. How black female bodies who are more curvier are treated compared to bodies that are slimer. This was ok for the most because I am a big girl myself so I relate but for some reason this essay went on too long. Like the first part was about Lizzo and towards the end it felt like a little bit of a tangent which I felt a lot of essays as I listened tended to do.
She's a Freak: 3.0 Stars- Honestly this one really could have been good if it didn't feel like a tangent again towards the end. This was about the sexualization of black women of young age which she talked about Megan the Stallion and how she owns her sexuality. Also brief talks about the double standard of black woman sexuality and black male sexuality.
Man,This Shit is Draining.: 5.0 Stars- Talking about the work field and how it's draining to report on certain topics that the author does which she gets hate mail and racial slurs thrown at her. This one gets a 5 stars because that last part when she went on F- bomb laced rant telling these people what they can do, I felt that shit. lol
Extra Black:2.5 Stars- Talks about Colorism in Hollywood and how Black Skinned Actresses are more quicker to get roles than Dark Skinned Actresses. This one needed more research and felt like she skimmed over things that really could have hammered her message down more. She did briefly talk about Old Hollywood but I think she really could have used that to her advance. She could have really nailed it home on the fact that actresses like Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, because of their light skin didn't play the Maid/ Mammy roles compared to Hattie McDonald, Butterfly McQueen and others who were darker skinned. That while yes ,Lena and Dorothy were still discriminated against because they were black so they still couldn't get major roles, they still were in a better position than Hattie and Butterfly. She just skimmed over it briefly but she did mention that Lena didn't get a role that later a white actress did get because she would be the love interest of White Male Co-Star. Like Come on this is Old Hollywood during the Jim Crow Laws. We knew that was not going to fly. Thank God for Virginia Vs. Loving...
Cardi B is So Problematic: 1.0 Star- I don't think I needed a whole freaking essay about Cardi B and Problematic things she has done and said. Also dealing with her beef with Nicki Minaj. This should have been left on the cutting room floor. With Lizzo, I understood since we were talking about Body Positivity. With Cardi it just felt like it had no sense of direction. Do we want to talk about Transphobia in the Black Community which needs to be talked about for real? Do you want to talk about Racism? Do we want to talk about Allyship and what to do to help the Black LBGTQ Community? Do we just want to go on a tangent about Cardi for 45 mins and just tack on Transphobia, Racism, Allyship in there somewhere? Because I didn't need this one at all. She could have just done an essay about trying to be an Black Woman Ally or done research about the Ball Culture and its impact on the Black Queer Community.
GirlHood:2.5 Stars- This felt all over the place which I was trying to figure out the correlations with Girlhood but I did like the fact of her being a Spice Girl Fan. The first part with her talking about growing up being a fan of Spice Girls and relating to Mel B is relatable to girlhood but the last part... I don't even know. I really thought it would be tied back into the She's a Freak Essay on how black girls get called "fast" or get sexualized because some girl bodies developed so quickly that sometimes they lose the innocence of girlhood. Like being 10 or 12 years old and because your body is developed a grown ass man is looking at you. I really thought she could have gone that route with it.
Strong Black Lead: 5.0 Stars- The Strongest of the essays for some reason. I enjoyed this one and how the author talked about her mental health.
Free of Cares: 4.0 Stars- This was a pretty good essay to end it and tie in the name of the Book.
Final Rating: 3.5 Stars
I just feel like with a lot of these essays, she really could have made her arguments stronger by getting examples from the past to back up her examples of the present. Yes ,I know she's in her 30's like me but most of these essays feel like a tangent or a rant and not a well thought out essay about a topic she's compelled to talk about. Honestly her best two Essays were the essays dealing with her personal experiences more than trying to link it with pop culture. Maybe she should have done a collection of essays more forcing on her experience being a black woman alone and just left the pop culture element out of it.