ARC Review: Ravenfall // Spooky, magical, heartfelt

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Title: Ravenfall
Author: Kalyn Josephson
Genre/s and tags: Middle grade, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, supernatural
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: September 6, 2022
Content warnings: parental death, death, murder, violence
Goodreads synopsis: 

One magical inn, two kids with supernatural powers, and an ancient Celtic creature trying to destroy their world by Halloween night…

Halloweentown meets Supernatural in this spooky middle-grade series from the acclaimed author of the Storm Crow duology!

Thirteen-year-old Annabella Ballinkay has never been normal, even by her psychic family’s standards. Every generation uses their abilities to help run the Ravenfall Inn, a sprawling, magical B&B at the crossroads of the human world and the Otherworld. But it’s hard to contribute when your only power is foreseeing death.

So when fourteen-year-old Colin Pierce arrives at Ravenfall searching for his missing older brother and the supernatural creature who killed their parents, Anna jumps at the chance to help. But the mysteries tied to Colin go much deeper than either of them expects. . . .

As the two team up to find answers, they unearth Colin’s family’s secret past and discover that Colin has powers beyond his imagination. And now the supernatural creature, one with eerie origins in Celtic mythology, is coming after him. If Anna and Colin can’t stop the creature by Halloween night, the veil to the Otherworld could be ripped open–which would spell destruction for their world as they know it.

A big thank you to the author for sending the e-ARC my way for an honest review!
(This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Hi book nerds! I don’t know about you, but reading middle grade novels always fun for me. And in this case, Ravenfall is a wonderful middle grade novel that ticked the boxes for me—from the plot, the Supernatural vibes, to the characters, to the setting, and more! So today, I’m sharing it with all of you!

Ravenfall is a spooky and magical middle grade novel you do not want to miss! With Celtic mythology, a sentient inn, psychics, and a family secret, it’s an adventure you’ll love.

Genderbent tropes and queer identity: 3 Books That I Read for Pride 2022

Okay, so. This post is a month late! I know, I know, I’m sorry. But life happens, and long story short, May, June and July have ganged up on me. So I haven’t been active much, haven’t been reading much as I used to. However, I was still able to read a few books from my Pride TBR for this year!

And let me just say, I have been blessed with three amazing books! So here’s a quick rundown, as well as my mini reviews!

Flip The Script

Summary: An aspiring K-drama teen actress falls for the actress who plays the second lead in their show, instead of her fake co-star boyfriend.

My rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I think: This was my first read this June, and I can’t help but think how fitting it is. Flip the Script was just so cute and so fun, and most importantly, it shed some light on the queer community in South Korea and the entertainment industry in particular. It also gave us hope of what may come and what we can do to make a difference.

Interview: Elisa A. Bonnin, Author of Dauntless

Hello book nerds! It has been a while since I joined a blog tour, I know. But today, I’m sharing something I am pretty excited about! Today, I’m sharing my interview with Elisa A. Bonnin, as part of the Dauntless Blog Tour by Xpresso Tours!

Dauntless is one of my most anticipated releases for this year. I found out about this YA fantasy novel with Filipino sapphics and I was immediately sold. Now I’m happy to be spreading more information about Dauntless!

I had the chance to chat with the author, Elisa A. Bonnin for my tour stop! So read on to know more about the inspiration of Dauntless, the world-building, the characters, and what the story can mean for Filipino readers of today.

ARC Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler // A YA romcom debut to look out for

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Title: I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre/s and tags: Young adult, contemporary, romance, LGBTQ+, mystery
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication date: May 3, 2022
Content warnings: homophobia, religious trauma
Goodreads synopsis: 

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need…

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston’s I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.

A big thank you to Macmillan International and Fully Booked PH for the e-ARC!
(This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Hello book nerds! I am back again with another book review. And it seems like another top 2022 read for me. I am talking about I Kissed Shara Wheeler! This is the much anticipated YA debut from Casey McQuiston. Now, because I enjoyed RWRB, I can’t help but be excited for this one as well! I have to say though, I started reading without really knowing much about what I was getting into. I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a funny and heartfelt journey of queer identity, of finding love, and realizing that there’s more to the people around us. This is a YA romcom debut to look out for!

ARC Review: Kiss & Tell // Romance, boybands, and queer people in the limelight

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Title: Kiss & Tell
Author: Adib Khorram
Genre/s and tags: Young adult, contemporary, romance, LGBTQ+, music
Publisher: Dial Books/Penguin Teen
Publication date: March 22, 2022
Content warnings: homophobia, leaked privacy/private texts being leaked, slut-shaming, body shaming, racism, sexual content
Goodreads synopsis: 

A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.

But Hunter isn’t really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T’s shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the star of the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble—for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself.

A big thank you to Dial Books/Penguin Teen for the e-ARC!
(This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Hello book nerds! I feel like it has been a while! I’ve been struggling with some reads recently. However, I’ve still been blessed with great reads. This book? It’s one of them!

Kiss & Tell is another novel from Adib Khorram everyone should look out for. Romantic, inspiring, and socially-conscious, this book is a journey of queer love, identity, and pressure under the limelight.