Scan barcode
xangemtheelibrarian's reviews
994 reviews
The Harrowing by Kristen Kiesling
challenging
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
This graphic novel was a very fast exploration on the ethics of imprisoning someone BEFORE they commit a crime.
Overall, I saw through Rosewood fairly easily. The way they just absolutely latched onto Rowan's trauma and exploited it to get her on their side was honestly sickening to watch. I like Sam. I think she's my favorite character in all of this. The mystery itself, especially that aspect with Benson, felt a little flimsy to me. We were presented with one idea of Benson, get to catch a glimpse of him with Simon, and then suddenly we get a full explanation at the end. It felt... too easy. I liked the idea of the book, but I just wish it hadn't been resolved so quickly.
Overall, I saw through Rosewood fairly easily. The way they just absolutely latched onto Rowan's trauma and exploited it to get her on their side was honestly sickening to watch. I like Sam. I think she's my favorite character in all of this. The mystery itself, especially that aspect with Benson, felt a little flimsy to me. We were presented with one idea of Benson, get to catch a glimpse of him with Simon, and then suddenly we get a full explanation at the end. It felt... too easy. I liked the idea of the book, but I just wish it hadn't been resolved so quickly.
Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
All I needed to know about this book to want to read it was that it was a "Post-Apocalyptic Sapphic YA Zombie Romance." At least, that's how I've been describing it to anyone who will listen. Rory and Mara's journey from Pining Besties, to Mortal- and Undead- Enemies, to Lovers is *chef's kiss,* but there's so much more to this story than their romance.
This YA romance is a survival story with a side of bunker-politics. I would call it a mystery, but it really isn't. It's less about the "whodunits" and more about "we know exactly who did this and why but no one around here will believe us and everyone is trying to kill us because we became a threat to a very powerful, charismatic person." It's after the world ended! Of course we have your usual militant, power-hungry people bickering over territories, resources, people, and power!
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It gave me Warm Bodies vibes and I had also really liked that story as well. YA is notorious for monster romances, so I'm happy to have zombies join the ranks of vampires, werewolves, mermaids, and the various kinds of powerful immortals that have already entranced us.
This YA romance is a survival story with a side of bunker-politics. I would call it a mystery, but it really isn't. It's less about the "whodunits" and more about "we know exactly who did this and why but no one around here will believe us and everyone is trying to kill us because we became a threat to a very powerful, charismatic person." It's after the world ended! Of course we have your usual militant, power-hungry people bickering over territories, resources, people, and power!
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It gave me Warm Bodies vibes and I had also really liked that story as well. YA is notorious for monster romances, so I'm happy to have zombies join the ranks of vampires, werewolves, mermaids, and the various kinds of powerful immortals that have already entranced us.
Wild Dreamers by Margarita Engle
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I won't lie. It had been a HOT minute since I had read the blurb for this book. It'd intrigued me for a while. I knew it was primarily a romance and that both teens were interested in wildlife conservation. I didn't remember ANYTHING else about the book. So, when I realized it was only a two hour audiobook, I decided, "Why not? I'll listen to it."
Y'all. The "WHAT" that I shouted out LOUD when I discovered that Ana's father was on the FBI's most wanted list. That was a WILD reveal for someone who forgot what the book was about! And the singing dog that comes straight out of folklore?? I wasn't expecting the infusion of magic in this story at all, but I was so here for it!
There's a lot of emotion and story packed into this two hour audiobook. The romance, the anxiety, struggling with homelessness and a criminal father, the fight to save that puma... So much happens, but it all resolves beautifully and it didn't feel like the author was throwing in too much.
Y'all. The "WHAT" that I shouted out LOUD when I discovered that Ana's father was on the FBI's most wanted list. That was a WILD reveal for someone who forgot what the book was about! And the singing dog that comes straight out of folklore?? I wasn't expecting the infusion of magic in this story at all, but I was so here for it!
There's a lot of emotion and story packed into this two hour audiobook. The romance, the anxiety, struggling with homelessness and a criminal father, the fight to save that puma... So much happens, but it all resolves beautifully and it didn't feel like the author was throwing in too much.
Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story left me with so many complicated feelings. I thought it had resolved beautifully, until I came to the very last entry in the book, right before the acknowledgments. (I hesitate to call it the "last chapter" because this book isn't exactly formatted by chapters, but rather by letters, court transcripts, and sparse narration.) If I hadn't've read that very last entry that explained all the ripped fragments of paper we see scattered throughout the book, I would have been totally sold, completely sympathetic towards Ruby.
What hurts the most about this story is the veracity behind it. I used to work for Tarrant County Jail, once upon a time. And while this story is set in the neighboring Dallas County Jail, there's two things I remember so clearly. The first is that, as much as we were intentionally spiteful and difficult to visitors and inmates, we were always thanked for being "so much nicer" than the Dallas County jail system. I honestly believe that the author was not exaggerating Ruby's experience in jail in the slightest. Because I know firsthand how the "nice" Tarrant County Jail employees acted.
Overall, this book is incredibly well-written. I love the format. It's so unique and made reading a breeze on my eyes. I enjoyed the frequent breaks in the text. This isn't the kind of book you enjoy. This is the kind of story that makes you want to cry or throw up. I'm in such a huge book hangover, I'm not even sure what to read next, but I'm definitely giving myself time to recover from this book first.
Warning to potential readers, this review might get slightly spoiler-y from this point forward, but I will do my best to keep it at a minimum. Read at your own risk.
To call this story complicated honestly feels like an understatement to me. Part of me wonders if teens are the right audience for this book. But maybe I'm underestimating teens too, because look at Ellen Hopkins and Laurie Anderson. Look at people who have written stories for teens about sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, and drug use. Teens experience these things just as much as adults do, and most of the time, they simply do not talk about it with their parents. Sometimes a book is the only outlet they have to feel seen. Ruby's story is absolutely raw and unflinching. It doesn't hold back.
It's common knowledge but never acknowledged that inmates are treated as less than human. As something to be used and thrown away. The food isn't good (they serve that nastiness to both inmate and employee alike), the cells are crowded, and the guards take advantage of inmates where they can. This is a dangerous place for a teenager to be placed. And it shows in Ruby's stress and reactiveness as the story progresses.
As far as Ruby's trial went, I hated seeing the State Attorney motivated by politics instead of seeing a fifteen year old girl who has lived a life of being taken advantage of. Every inch won for Ruby in her case felt like a milestone. Every little crack the DA managed to form in the prosecutor's case made me cheer. And every damning piece of evidence the prosecutor brought up made me sick with worry. I don't know what it is, whether it's the fact that I live in DFW or have experience in jails, but I read Ruby's story like it was personal. And side note: the fact that I couldn't separate myself from the people I saw brought into jail every day was the biggest reason that I could not work in the jail for very long. It was killing me.
Ruby is incredibly lucky. So, so very lucky. Her DA, Tate, legitimately cared about her. So did her social worker, Cadence. But I have strong reservations about Cadence after reading the entirety of the book. I also have mixed feelings about Ruby. Cadence got too close, too personal. But if she hadn't, she would've immediately written Ruby off as undeserving of a second chance. Cadence wouldn't have fought as hard as she did, nor would she have taken the questionable actions that she had if she didn't see herself in Ruby. And I think where I keep getting hung up is in how Cadence decided to help Ruby.
I just honestly wish I had never read the very last entry. But there is no world in which I wouldn't have read it, unless it had simply never been written at all. Anyways, thanks for reading a semi-cohesive, wine-fueled rant about a book that makes me unsure how to feel about it.
What hurts the most about this story is the veracity behind it. I used to work for Tarrant County Jail, once upon a time. And while this story is set in the neighboring Dallas County Jail, there's two things I remember so clearly. The first is that, as much as we were intentionally spiteful and difficult to visitors and inmates, we were always thanked for being "so much nicer" than the Dallas County jail system. I honestly believe that the author was not exaggerating Ruby's experience in jail in the slightest. Because I know firsthand how the "nice" Tarrant County Jail employees acted.
Overall, this book is incredibly well-written. I love the format. It's so unique and made reading a breeze on my eyes. I enjoyed the frequent breaks in the text. This isn't the kind of book you enjoy. This is the kind of story that makes you want to cry or throw up. I'm in such a huge book hangover, I'm not even sure what to read next, but I'm definitely giving myself time to recover from this book first.
Warning to potential readers, this review might get slightly spoiler-y from this point forward, but I will do my best to keep it at a minimum. Read at your own risk.
To call this story complicated honestly feels like an understatement to me. Part of me wonders if teens are the right audience for this book. But maybe I'm underestimating teens too, because look at Ellen Hopkins and Laurie Anderson. Look at people who have written stories for teens about sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, and drug use. Teens experience these things just as much as adults do, and most of the time, they simply do not talk about it with their parents. Sometimes a book is the only outlet they have to feel seen. Ruby's story is absolutely raw and unflinching. It doesn't hold back.
It's common knowledge but never acknowledged that inmates are treated as less than human. As something to be used and thrown away. The food isn't good (they serve that nastiness to both inmate and employee alike), the cells are crowded, and the guards take advantage of inmates where they can. This is a dangerous place for a teenager to be placed. And it shows in Ruby's stress and reactiveness as the story progresses.
Ruby is incredibly lucky. So, so very lucky. Her DA, Tate, legitimately cared about her. So did her social worker, Cadence. But I have strong reservations about Cadence after reading the entirety of the book. I also have mixed feelings about Ruby. Cadence got too close, too personal. But if she hadn't, she would've immediately written Ruby off as undeserving of a second chance. Cadence wouldn't have fought as hard as she did, nor would she have taken the questionable actions that she had if she didn't see herself in Ruby. And I think where I keep getting hung up is in how Cadence decided to help Ruby.
I just honestly wish I had never read the very last entry. But there is no world in which I wouldn't have read it, unless it had simply never been written at all. Anyways, thanks for reading a semi-cohesive, wine-fueled rant about a book that makes me unsure how to feel about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It took me a couple tries to start this book. I just wasn't connecting with Ariel when I was physically reading it, but I desperately wanted to read this story. I gave it a final chance through audio, and I'm so glad I did.
Cole's narration of her own story brought Ariel to life for me. The way she reads the intrusive thoughts, the quiet, rapid-fire way they zip through Ariel's mind versus how she narrates what's happening outside of Ariel's head. The way Cole gives each character their own unique voice. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end. I think I ended up finishing the book in two days give or take?
I liked this book even more than Dear Medusa. Between her two books, I can see how she pays close attention to how race, societal gender roles, and identity play into mental health struggles. I felt for Ariel because I know women who slouch because they want to be small. Women who curl in on themselves so much their shoulders and upper back are rounded like a hump because they've been told they're too broad and masculine. I know women who developed eating disorders because they were told they were too fat or too skinny. I was one of the women who hated my own body and the number on a scale.
Ariel isn't just dealing with body issues and struggling to determine if she's a boy or a girl or somewhere in between, but she also struggles with her OCD. Her intrusive thoughts have her convinced she is fundamentally wrong somehow. She believes she's a serial killer thanks to all the bloody images her brain bombardes her with. And the things she imagines is rightfully terrifying. But I adore the way Ruby helps her: calling Ariel back, telling her to stay present instead of falling into her swampy mindscape, shouting out her own intrusive thoughts to help Ariel feel more normal... I love the genuine show of friendship and care for Ariel.
And as if it couldn't get more complicated, Ariel is having to cope on her own, without therapy, because her parents don't believe in therapy. There is something so ugly about the phrases "Well you just aren't believing hard enough," "You just didn't pray hard enough," or "Well I guess that means God told you no, didn't He?" And while my feelings toward religion are obviously biased, I appreciated the conclusion Ariel came to about religion.
There's just so much going on all at once in this point in Ariel's life. But that's just how life tends to happen anyways, isn't it? Everything crashes down all at once, and we either grow from it, like the seeds scattered by wildfires, or we collapse like a building set for demolition. And I think the biggest factor that contributed to Ariel's conclusion was the support she found when she allowed herself to open up to her sister and friends.
Cole's narration of her own story brought Ariel to life for me. The way she reads the intrusive thoughts, the quiet, rapid-fire way they zip through Ariel's mind versus how she narrates what's happening outside of Ariel's head. The way Cole gives each character their own unique voice. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end. I think I ended up finishing the book in two days give or take?
I liked this book even more than Dear Medusa. Between her two books, I can see how she pays close attention to how race, societal gender roles, and identity play into mental health struggles. I felt for Ariel because I know women who slouch because they want to be small. Women who curl in on themselves so much their shoulders and upper back are rounded like a hump because they've been told they're too broad and masculine. I know women who developed eating disorders because they were told they were too fat or too skinny. I was one of the women who hated my own body and the number on a scale.
Ariel isn't just dealing with body issues and struggling to determine if she's a boy or a girl or somewhere in between, but she also struggles with her OCD. Her intrusive thoughts have her convinced she is fundamentally wrong somehow. She believes she's a serial killer thanks to all the bloody images her brain bombardes her with. And the things she imagines is rightfully terrifying. But I adore the way Ruby helps her: calling Ariel back, telling her to stay present instead of falling into her swampy mindscape, shouting out her own intrusive thoughts to help Ariel feel more normal... I love the genuine show of friendship and care for Ariel.
And as if it couldn't get more complicated, Ariel is having to cope on her own, without therapy, because her parents don't believe in therapy. There is something so ugly about the phrases "Well you just aren't believing hard enough," "You just didn't pray hard enough," or "Well I guess that means God told you no, didn't He?" And while my feelings toward religion are obviously biased, I appreciated the conclusion Ariel came to about religion.
There's just so much going on all at once in this point in Ariel's life. But that's just how life tends to happen anyways, isn't it? Everything crashes down all at once, and we either grow from it, like the seeds scattered by wildfires, or we collapse like a building set for demolition. And I think the biggest factor that contributed to Ariel's conclusion was the support she found when she allowed herself to open up to her sister and friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
I think I need an audiobook version for this. I love the concept. I love the author. It's just not the right time for me to read this yet.
Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams by Shari Green
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I will readily admit WWII era historical fiction is NOT my cup of tea. But the premise was so interesting I wanted to give it a chance. The writing felt so dry to me, but I couldn't find it in me to put down Helene's story. I'm glad I finished this one. I was expecting Helene to run away; to try and escape the GDR like all her friends had. I didn't expect her to want to stay. I adored this turn of events where the main character chooses to demand change by staying.
It made me consider that there was no one-size-fits-all correct way of dealing with the Berlin Wall and East Germany cutting itself off from the rest of the world. What was right for Helene's friend was not right for Helene or her family. And I love that.
It made me consider that there was no one-size-fits-all correct way of dealing with the Berlin Wall and East Germany cutting itself off from the rest of the world. What was right for Helene's friend was not right for Helene or her family. And I love that.
We Don't Swim Here by Vincent Tirado
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Tirado has created yet another horrifying story. For me it's not so much the jump scares or the gross body horror that happens in the story, it's the history they weave their horror around. The ghost in this one is one you hope gets its just revenge.
Trespass Against Us by Leon Kemp
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I didn't realize just how invested I was in this story until I was on a plane, surrounded by people, pressing my fist to my mouth trying to keep the tension I felt in my body from vocalizing.
This is your usual Haunted Catholic Boarding School story. But the way the author uses the house to showcase the relationships between Riley and his friends makes this story stand out from other Haunted Catholic Boarding School stories. The fact that Riley is returning to Dominic House after losing Ethan is another element that makes this story in particular shine.
Here for it. I loved it. I want another story about what happens after the sun rises and the survivors are free.
This is your usual Haunted Catholic Boarding School story. But the way the author uses the house to showcase the relationships between Riley and his friends makes this story stand out from other Haunted Catholic Boarding School stories. The fact that Riley is returning to Dominic House after losing Ethan is another element that makes this story in particular shine.
Here for it. I loved it. I want another story about what happens after the sun rises and the survivors are free.
Death's Country by R.M. Romero
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
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
I love the poly representation present in this story. Like some of the reviews I've seen, there were passages of verse that I just felt disconnected from. I kind of want to see this as a graphic novel. I want to visualize better this realm of death that Romero was imagining. The descriptions I latched onto were indeed beautiful. I wanted... More from the story. It felt too fast. It felt like it was resolved too quickly. I just needed something.... More.