Book Review: The Library of the Unwritten

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Title: The Library of the Unwritten
Author: A.J. Hackwith
Series: Hell’s Library #1
Genre/s and Tags: Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Supernatural/Paranormal, Books About Books, LGBTQ+, Pansexual rep
Content Warnings: Violence, discussions about death/afterlife
Goodreads synopsis:

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren’t finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell … and Earth.

A book about books?! About unfinished books, and characters manifesting in real life, and heaven and hell? And wow. It’s safe to say that when I read this book’s synopsis, I was already brimming in excitement.

The Library of the Unwritten feels so much like a love letter to authors and book lovers. It’s exciting, it’s poignant, and absolutely wonderful.

My thoughts on The Library of the Unwritten

First of all, let me just say that this book has one of the most beautiful prose I have ever encountered. It’s so beautiful and elegant and poignant, (and I have 162 highlights on my Kindle to prove it!).

When it comes to the characters, I was pleasantly surprised. They were interesting, yes, but they were also full of surprises. As I read through the journey of Claire and her little mismatched gang, I kept finding new details and revelations about them. Claire herself was such a wonderful protagonist for me—level-headed, yet also flawed, but she showed spunk all throughout the book. Hero was also a surprise for me. I was indifferent about him at first, but I believe his character (pun intended?) grows on you.

The plot was entertaining and I love how it was both ominous and unpredictable at the same time. There plot twists were great and they added so much impact to the story. The fantasy and supernatural elements in the book also make it thrilling and exciting. The book referred to different kinds of mythologies, mentioned different kinds of ideologies, and featured magic that’s not quite like other fantasy novels. (And in a way, it has vibes similar to Supernatural and The Good Place.)

I also have to mention how I adored the casual queer representation here. Claire is pansexual, and I think this might be the first time I read a book with pansexual rep! I loved it, and the casualness of it all just made it more delightful.

Stories and writing were obviously a big theme in The Library of the Unwritten. It’s why I firmly believe it’s a love letter to authors and book lovers alike. Throughout the whole book, there were many discussions about being an author, about finding inspiration, about writing, about the characters we write and read about, and so much more. I loved it!

Overall, The Library of the Unwritten spoke to me and moved me in many ways. I am so glad I picked up this book, and it looks like I found myself another adult fantasy series to look out for!

Quotes from the book 

What is a story without want, without desire, without need?

​​That every story, every human, matters. The hard part is convincing ourselves first.

Stay out of politics? Ridiculous! When has a writer ever managed to avoid politics? Every story is political. Tell a soul a story they want to believe, and you can change the world.

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Buy The Library of The Unwritten

Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop

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Has anyone else read this book? Please tell me I am not alone! And if you haven’t read it yet, go ahead and tell me what you think!

ARC Review: Cemetery Boys

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Genre/s and Tags: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal/Supernatural, Murder Mystery, Latinx rep, Trans rep, Gay rep, OwnVoices
Content Warnings: Transphobia, deadnaming, ostracism, violence
Publication date: September 1, 2020
Goodreads synopsis:

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

There comes a time when I get so lucky and I get blessed by the book gods. Winning an ARC of Cemetery Boys is one of those times. This book is one of my most anticipated releases for 2020 and I am over the moon to have finally read it!

Cemetery Boys is all kinds of amazing. From the rich world-building, the lush writing, to the lovable characters, and the nuances and struggles of being transgender, this book will not disappoint.

Most Anticipated 2020 Releases: Part 2

Hello book nerds! It’s July and that means I’m back for another round of my most anticipated releases! I published the Part 1 back in January, listing down the books I’m excited for which will be released from January to June. Now I’ll be focusing on the books that will be released in the second half of 2020!

Some of my most anticipated releases from the first half of 2020 got pushed back though. Some of them are The Friend Scheme, Cemetery Boys, and Harrow the Ninth. Still, I’m so excited for them (and I’ve actually had the opportunity to read the advanced copy for some of them!) But anyway, that’s enough chit chat!

Here are my most anticipated 2020 releases from July to December 2020!

Immersing Myself in Audiobooks: June 2020 (Black LGBTQ+ books)

Hello book nerds! Happy happy Pride Month to everyone! And when I say everyone, I mean everyone! Whether you’re out and proud, in the closet, or questioning, this is your month, too! I hope you got to celebrate it in your own way. 💗

So, since it’s Pride Month, I made a vow to read books that are in the LGBTQ+ spectrum. This includes the audiobooks I will listen to! I also decided to listen to books by Black authors to help uplift their stories and voices in these hard times. And so, as a result, I listened to audiobooks of Black LGBTQ+ books this month!

I listened to a total of four books, and I gave all of them (yes, ALL OF THEM) 5 stars! These were just amazing, I swear!

You Should See Me in a Crown

Title: You Should See Me in a Crown
Author: Leah Johnson
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre/s and Tags: Young adult, Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Sapphic

I saw this book getting a lot of hype and attention on both Twitter and Instagram so I decided to give it a try. And wow, wow, wow. I’m convinced this book added 10 years to my life span!

This was so good! So cute and wholesome and full of fluff. Showed the importance and beauty of friendships, of family, of young love. There are also great character developments, especially the main character’s. And this was also so damn relatable! Honestly, this book is just perfect. Kudos to the author, and of course, the narrator (who did a pretty great job!)!

I also definitely got myself a physical copy, because y’all, it’s THAT good.

The Black Flamingo

Title: The Black Flamingo
Author: Dean Atta
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre/s and Tags: Young Adult, Poetry, Novel in Verse, Coming of Age, Contemporary

If I knew this book was a novel in verse, I would have read this sooner! Nevertheless, it’s an amazing book that needs to be read by more people! This perfect book beautifully tackles gender and sexuality from childhood to adulthood, and I am in awe.

Dean Atta really knows his craft. He knows how to steal the readers’ breaths away and wow our minds with only his words. I loved everything about Michael’s journey—his mistakes, his experiences, his self-realizations, his achievements, his drag queen person, everything! Plus, the way gender and sexuality is talked about in this book is just amazing, enlightening, and wholesome. Such an amazing read!

Also, Dean Atta was also the one to narrate the audiobook and they’re brilliant!

King and the Dragonflies

Title: King and the Dragonflies
Author: Kacen Callender
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre/s and Tags: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

I wanted to read Kacen Callender’s work before diving into Felix Ever After and this seemed like a good pick. It really was a good pick, of course!

This books is just amazing. It explored grief, self-identity, sexuality, friendship, and family in a melancholic yet tender way. Such a great ending to King’s story (which I loved), but now I feel like I want more. Kudos to the author and the narrator!

Clap When You Land

Title: Clap When You Land
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre/s and Tags: Young Adult, Contemporary, Poetry, Novel in Verse

Elizabeth Acevedo was the who introduced me to novels in verse with her debut novel, The Poet X, and I’ve been a fan ever since!

This is another novel in verse from Acevedo, and it did not disappoint! If anything, it just proved to me that Acevedo is amazing.

This was such a beautiful book! There’s so much story here—about families (and how messy they can be), about identity, about race, about being a woman, about dreams and passion, about healing. I was working while I was listening to the audiobook, and I swear, it took all my strength not to cry. Kudos to the author and the other narrator! They did so good!

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And there you have it! I had so much fun with the audiobooks I listened to this month. These Black LGBTQ+ novels deserve so much more hype and acknowledgment and praise. In fact, there are a lot more books by Black authors and queer authors that deserve so much more from us bookworms as a community.

I hope we continue to actively look for these books, uplift them, and give them the attention they deserve. Not just every Pride Month, but in every month of every year.

How about other book nerds out there? How did y’all celebrate Pride Month? Did you get to read queer books as well? Tell me in the comments!

ARC Review: What Unbreakable Looks Like [Blog Tour]

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Title: What Unbreakable Looks Like
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Genre/s and Tags: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Content Warnings: Details about human trafficking, sexual assault and sexual harrassment (on page), non-consensual, manipulative/toxic relationship between a minor and an adult, absentee parents, PTSD, anxiety
Publication date: June 23, 2020
Goodreads synopsis:

Lex was taken–trafficked–and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.

After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn’t trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that’s what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.

But when she is sexually assaulted by her so-called boyfriend and his friends, Lex is forced to reckon with what happened to her and that just because she is used to it, doesn’t mean it is okay. She’s thrust into the limelight and realizes she has the power to help others. But first she’ll have to confront the monsters of her past with the help of her family, friends, and a new love.

Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, ultimately hopeful novel about human trafficking through the lens of a girl who has escaped the life and learned to trust, not only others, but in herself.

Hello book nerds! Today is my stop for the blog tour of What Unbreakable Looks Like! Thank you so much Wednesday Books for including me in this blog tour!

What Unbreakable Looks Like was raw and gritty, heartbreaking, and beautiful. It’s a book that explores overcoming trauma, learning to trust, and finding hope.

My thoughts on What Unbreakable Looks Like

Right from the get-go, I knew this was going to be a hard and emotional read. And I was right. This book tackled a lot of issues, the main character went through several traumatic events, and it was such a journey to see the story and the characters progress.

The writing style was great. Reading through Lex’s perspective gave me such a personal and emotional view of the story and the real-life dangers of human trafficking. I could tell the author also did a lot of research for this—to talk about human trafficking, the methodologies of (disgusting) traffickers, the trauma that victims go through, and the aftermath for victims and their families.

The characters were also compelling for me and they made the story more real and heartfelt. We see different kinds of people who are dealing with traumatic events in different ways, families and friends showing support, and more.

I also love that this book also tackled sexual harassment, the importance of consent, the nuances of being a woman and how others unfairly believe women less when it comes to sexual harassment cases.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the fact that the main character kept using AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) when trying to look tough or when conversing with people from her old life. Reading the book last month, I remember noticing this, too, but it wasn’t until recently that I came across a tweet from another reader pointing out that the main character (a white girl) was using AAVE.

Overall, What Unbreakable Looks Like is a great read, a gripping tale that will mess with your emotions and make you think about society.

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What Unbreakable Looks Like
Buy Link

Buy What Unbreakable Looks Like here!

About the Author 

KATE McLAUGHLIN likes people, so much so that she spends her days making up her own. She likes writing about characters who are bent, but not broken – people who find their internal strength through friends, strife and sometimes humor. When she’s not writing, she likes studying people, both real and fictional. She also likes playing board games with friends, talking and discovering new music. A proud Nova Scotian, she’ll gladly tell you all about the highest tides in the world, the magical creation known as a donair, and people who have sofas in their kitchens. Currently, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and four cats. She’s the author of What Unbreakable Looks Like. Find her on Twitter.